Beyond the Stars Trilogy Book 1: Chasing Shadows
by Scooter701
Summary: A change is what he wished for, and a change is what he got. But now cats are dying, bonds are breaking and StarClan can no longer help. Razorpaw believes he was hit by a falling star and his life saved by a strange cat in his dreams. Is it all connected?
1. Allegiances &  Introduction

**Alleigiances**

JungleClan

Leader:  
>Cheetahstar – Golden she-cat with black spots<br>Deputy:  
>Darkheart – Battle-Scarred black tom<br>Medicine Cat:  
>Shimmerpool – Ginger she-cat<br>Medicine Cat Apprentice:  
>Ghostpaw – Gray tom<br>Warriors:  
>Skyhawk – White tom with brown patches<br>Apprentice: Flamepaw  
>Thunderclaw – Golden tom with a black tail-tip<br>Nightraven – Jet black tom with gray stripes  
>Lionfrost – Golden tom with glistening blue eyes<br>Lizardfang – Dusky gray she-cat  
>Apprentice: Rainpaw<br>Snowpelt – Pure white she-cat  
>Apprentice: Cinderpaw<br>Yellowgaze – Ginger she-cat with glowing yellow eyes  
>Wildstripe – Thin white tom with silver gray stripes<br>Wolfsteak – Large gray tom with black stripes  
>Apprentice: Moonpaw<br>Sparrowflight – Brown she-cat  
>Apprentices:<br>Flamepaw – Ginger tom  
>Rainpaw – Grey she-cat<br>Cinderpaw – Golden she-cat with black stripes  
>Moonpaw – Black she-cat<br>Queens:  
>Vapoursoul – Silver she-cat<br>Honeyfur – Golden she-cat  
>Whitefoot – White she-cat with a black muzzle<br>Kits:  
>Razorkit – Silver tom with black spots<br>Stingkit – Black tom with silver and gray patches  
>Silentkit White she-kit with cream patches<br>Leopardkit – Golden-she cat with black spots and black paws  
>Chaoskit – Black tom with redish-brown eyes.<br>Elders:  
>Amberleaf – Amber she-cat with a long tail<br>Tawnyfur – Old tawny tom, blind

DesertClan

Leader:  
>Mudstar – Brown tom with black patches<br>Deputy:  
>Dragonclaw – Black tom with gleaming golden eyes<br>Medicine Cat:  
>Brackenshine – Dappled tom<br>Medicine Cat Apprentice:  
>Hollypaw – Grey she-cat<br>Warriors:  
>Mosspelt – Thin black she-cat<br>Rowanfang – Redish-brown tom  
>Apprentice: Sunpaw<br>Volefur – Dark brown she-cat  
>Tigerstripe – Ginger tom with black stripes<br>Apprentice: Cedarpaw  
>Silverheart – Silver she-cat<br>Hawkstorm – White tom with brown patches  
>Blackwing – Black tom<br>Mothflight – White she-cat with black spots  
>Waterheart – Silver she-cat<br>Apprentice: Grasspaw  
>Apprentices:<br>Stonepaw – Grey she-cat  
>Grasspaw – Black tom<br>Lynxpaw - Golden she-cat with blazing orange eyes  
>Queens:<br>Willowclaw – Dark brown she-cat  
>Kits:<br>Brownkit – Brown tom with white patches  
>Fawnkit – Brown she-cat with white spots<br>Elders:  
>Longwhisker – Silver tom<p>

OceanClan

Leader:  
>Swiftstar – Thin white tom<br>Deputy:  
>Lightstripe – Golden tabby tom<br>Medicine Cat:  
>Falconheart – Brown and white tom<br>Medicine Cat Apprentice:  
>Echopaw – Grey she-cat<br>Warriors:  
>Foxtail – Ginger-red tom with a bushy tail<br>Apprentice: Ivypaw  
>Redpelt – Red-brown tom<br>Breezefoot – Black and white tom  
>Rocktooth - Stone grey she-cat<br>Apprentice: Maplepaw  
>Fernstorm – Dappled grey she-cat<br>Airheart – White tom  
>Apprentice: Lakepaw<br>Thrushtalon - Brown and black tom  
>Goldleaf – Golden she-cat<br>Bluejay – Black tom with bright blue eyes  
>Apprentice: Shadowpaw<br>Apprentices:  
>Maplepaw – Gold she-cat<br>Ivypaw – Grey tom  
>Shadowpaw – Black tom<br>Lakepaw – Silver she-cat  
>Queens:<br>Crystalsoul – White she-cat with grey flecks  
>Cloudheart – Long haired white she-cat<br>Kits:  
>Dawnkit – White she-kit with ginger patches<br>Frostkit – White tom  
>Thornkit – Grey tom<br>Elders:  
>Bramblepelt – Brown she-cat<br>Rabbitfur – Grey she-cat with black flecks  
>Dewleaf – Black tom<p>

MountainClan

Leader:  
>Acidstar – Old black and grey she-cat with unusual purple eyes<br>Deputy:  
>Poisontail – Dark grey tom with light green eyes<br>Medicine Cat:  
>Flowerheart – White she-cat with ginger patches<br>Medicine Cat Apprentice:  
>Russetpaw – Brown tom<br>Warriors:  
>Lilystream – Silver she-cat with green eyes<br>Gingertail – Ginger she-cat  
>Hazelfoot – Big brown tom<br>Heatherheart – White and ginger she-cat  
>Squirrelpelt – Ginger-brown tom<br>Blossomwing – Dappled she-cat  
>Apprentice: Dovepaw<br>Poppynose – Black and white she-cat  
>Duskglow – Black tom<br>Apprentice: Robinpaw  
>Stoneclaw – Grey tom with amber eyes<br>Pinefur – Pine-coloured tom  
>Eagletalon – Brown and white tom<br>Apprentices:  
>Robinpaw – Brown tom with ginger patches<br>Dovepaw – Grey she-cat  
>Queens:<br>Goldenheart – Golden she-cat  
>Kits:<br>Shadekit – Dark grey she-kit  
>Pantherkit – Black tom<br>Elders:  
>Fallheart – Redish-brown tom<p>

**Chapter 1: An Ominous Feeling**

The full moon shone brightly over the coast like a single eye in the cloudless black sky. Vibrant silver light reflected leisurely on the clam ocean water as it lapped against the cool sands on the north coast, the sound of the slow moving water carried on the salty sea breeze. The night was cool, clam, with only sounds of the night-waking prey and the sea against the sand drifting with the wind.

In the sky, however, the stars seemed to flow as if they were dancing together as one.

"You can feel it too?" A she-cat sat on an old tree-stump, white pelt shimmering with the glow of the stars and bright blue eyes glowing with the glitter of the night, "Something...something is changing."

"Yes" A rasping voice answered warily, as another she-cat lay on the lush green grass, staring into the sky above the stars with seeking green eyes and a pelt like flame, "All the cats around here have felt it. It's been ruffling my pelt for a while now…"

"Maybe those Dark Forest cats are up to something?" The white she-cat speculated, licking smooth a clump of misplaced fur. Small, shimmering lights floated from her fur as she smoothed down her pelt, drifting off into the complacent night sky.

"It could be" The cat lay on the grass glanced to the right, knowing if a cat ventured too far in that direction, they could find themselves in the terrifying grasp of darker claws. The evergreen forest which served a peaceful home for the cats of StarClan would eventually thin out into the dusky, shadow filled lands in which the cats who had turned their backs to the stars would roam. Beyond that, however, no cat had ever been. What lay in other realms of stars was a mystery to every cat - dead or alive.

"It's chilling my spine" The cat on the stump muttered, finally sitting up, her pelt shivering with unease and eyes searching wearily around, "I don't know what's happening around here, but every cat has noticed. Something _is_ going on. Nobody knows what, or who, but nobody has felt this before. _Something is changing."_

"Hm" The other agreed, "But what can we do? We cannot warn the clans of a danger of something we have no information about. We don't even know if it is danger, change isn't always bad"

"No" The white pelted cat seemed dubious, "But the clans have survived by maintaining the code of our ancestors. If something were to happen that would change that, the foundation of the clans would be rocked to the core. We have no control over that."

There was a brief silence as both she-cats pondered what was to happen in the near future, for the clans of the living and for the cats of StarClan. Whatever was sending this ominous vibe through the stars was certainly causing questions, but the real question still remained the same. What could they do about it?


	2. The Five Kits of JungleClan

**Chapter 2: The Five Kits Of JungleClan**

The sun rose slowly over the horizon, endulging the forest with golden light and the promise of a new day. Birds began to sing almost instantly and the forest seemed to come alive with sound and movement. Leaves quivered in the mild greenleaf breeze that carried the salty tang of the ocean all the way through the forest, right into the JungleClan camp.

Warriors were emerging from their dens ready for the morning patrol. The apprentices followed more drowsily behind them, yawning occasionally as they got used to the early morning work of a warrior. Clan life was at its most peaceful during these times, the vibrant, warm days of Greenleaf.

The camp was settled neatly in the forest clearing, surrounded by a barrier of leaves and sharp sticks. A hollow log served as the camp entrance, resting in the sole gap in the barrier. The camp was mostly flat, apart from the small cliff at the north edge of the barrier, which served as the FallRock for Clan meetings and the hollow inside made for the Leader's den. A glittering stream, about a tail length wide flowed from atop the FallRock and over the edge, creating a small waterfall and thus giving the stone it's title as the FallRock. A small pool formed at the bottom and then flowed away to the south, meaning that the cats here never had to go far for water. The dens consisted of tightly woven branches and leaves, sometimes bigger than the cats themselves. The medicine cat's den rested comfortably beside the FallRock and the barrier, with an outcropping stone serving as a roof. The freshkill pile, an old tree stump balancing a mound of prey, sat between the apprentices and the warriors den.

One cat sat atop the FallRock, watching the cats below as they gathered and began to sort out the dawn patrol. Her short golden fur, broken up only by small black spots, shimmered in the morning sunlight and her lithe figure was evident. She sat with her tail wrapped neatly around her paws and watched as the cats below began to break apart in their separate duties with equally golden eyes.

"Cheetahstar" Another cat bound his way up the FallRock, keeping careful not to wet his paws in the stream. His jet-black fur was contrasted by the many scars he carried all over his body, tales of countless battles before. Eyes a deep chestnut brown, he gazed at his leader his undying loyalty.

"What is it, Darkheart?" The she-cat mewed, glancing over her shoulder as her deputy sat beside her.

"I've finished organizing the patrols" He dipped his head and she nodded for him to continue, "I'm sure you're aware, it's almost time to apprentice the five kits."

"Ah, yes..." Cheetahstar sighed, whiskers twitching as she thought, "We may have to make the apprentice's den bigger. After those five are apprenticed, there will be no room"

"Shall I organize for the den to be enlarged?" He asked.

"Once some more warrior's get back from patrolling, you can start then" She agreed, blinking at him gratefully. He dipped his head and was about to leave when another cat hopped onto the FallRock, his eyes gleaming.

"Ah, Wildstripe" Darkheart nodded to the thin white cat, with silvery grey stripes giving him a unique appearance among the clan cats.

"If you're going to make the den bigger, I'd be glad to help" He beamed, "It's for my own kits after all"

"And mine" Darkheart nodded, "I know how much this means to them"

"I'm sure they're excited already" Cheetahstar purred, and glanced towards the nursery, "I wondering if they're thinking about it now?"

"We're being apprenticed soon? Aw, but I like it here..."

The nursery was warm and cozy, even in the encasing darkness. The spacious den's walls were made up of tightly woven sticks and huge leaves, meaning there were little to no gaps and only one source of light. Even so, the darkness gave the nursery that safe feeling. It was always warm in here, no matter what the weather outside was like.

"No way! Being apprenticed is _the best!_" A golden spotted she-kit squealed with unhidden excitement, bouncing around the gathered group in a frenzy. Her bright green eyes were the colour of lime, and they glittered whenever the light crossed them.

"You like this place _that_ much, even now?" Another kit questioned with a small shake of the head, "I still don't get you, Chaoskit"

"That's because you have a brain smaller than that of a mouse, Stingkit" Chaoskit, the jet black tom - which was almost un-seeable in the darkness - sighed, drawing a glare from Stingkit. He dismissed the glare with a simple flick of his tail, and he turned away from the other tom.

The bouncing she-kit stopped and pushed her way in between the two toms, pretty much ignoring them both, "It'll be great!" She announced, full of pride, "I can just see it now, when I'm finished training, you'll be calling me _Leopardstar_ before you know it!"

Chaoskit and Stingkit went from glaring at each other to looking at Leopardkit. The golden she-kit slipped from between them and made her way over to her other to kit friends.

"What about you two?" She asked, poking them with her paws, "Aren't you happy?"

"I suppose" Came a short reply, from the silver tom on the left. His black spots were almost invisible in the dimly lit nursery but his bright blue eyes glowed.

"Suppose? Aw, you're no fun, Razorkit" Leopardkit huffed, and went back to pestering the other two toms.

Razorkit sighed. He didn't know what to think of becoming an apprentice. Most kits were alive with excitement like Leopardkit was. Even his brother Stingkit was unable to keep his usual cool and was letting out burst of happiness. Chaoskit thought becoming an apprentice would be too much hassle, saying that it would be all chores and training. The one kit who hadn't said anything, the she-kit who was asleep next to Razorkit, didn't think much of apprenticeship either. Silentkit hated fighting. And when she became an apprentice herself, the creamy-white she-kit would have to work towards a goal that she didn't even want to achieve. Razorkit had always felt sorry for his sister Silentkit. She would make a great Medicine Cat, but she never spoke. Nobody knew why, if it was that she couldn't speak, or she just didn't want to.

It was an odd situation, really. Two of them wanted to become apprentices and protect the clan. Two of them didn't. And one hadn't taken a side on the matter.

Of course, it was Razorkit who hadn't chosen.

Before the kits could discuss further, the head of another cat poked through the slim nursery entrance.

"You're awake already?" The tom purred, pushing himself clumsily through the entrance and into the blackness of the nursery. He towered over the kits, his long fur a stone gray shade, split by the jet-black stripes – un-seeable in the den. It wasn't just the kits he shadowed, but every cat in the forest looked small compared to this cat.

"Wolfstreak!" Stingkit beamed, scampering away to greet the huge warrior.

"Shhh-" Wolfstreak shushed, "Don't wake the queens, alright? They have their paws full with you five"

They all shared the same thought; _it's only because Leopardkit never shuts up..._

"Well, I just came to tell you that it'll be your apprentice ceremonies in a few sunrises" Wolfstreak informed, "The day after the next gathering"

"Yeah!" Leopardkit squealed. Stingkit just flicked his ears dismissively, again trying to look composed, but the glitter in his eyes gave his excitement away.

"So don't go doing anything mouse-brained until then, alright?" Wolfstreak advised, casting a glance at the four awake kits, and the one asleep. When nobody spoke, he dipped his head and left.

There was a moment's silence. Razorkit glanced to Chaoskit, and they both shared the same look of new found worry.

Stingkit and Leopardkit had a new glint in their eyes. This only meant one thing.

"I have an idea!" They both exclaimed at the same time, drawing an exasperated sigh from Chaoskit.

_Oh StarClan, not again..._


	3. A Message in the Darkness

**Chapter 3: A Message In The Shadows**

While the sunlight shone down on the territories of the clans, there was a realm in the sky where the sun never rose over the horizon. A place where the silver glow of the moon never appeared and even the glittering stars had abandoned. A place consumed by eternal night and inhabited only by those who had committed the greatest sins against the stars.

The Dark Forest was a truly daunting place.

Shadows loomed over the dusty earth. A heavy mist blocked much of the view and the only vegetation was the mile upon mile of wilting, leafless trees; with stale, gray-brown branches that clattered together in the breeze. The faint sound of whispers could be heard no matter where you were in the land, but no matter how hard one could try, they would never find the source of the sound. Chilly air floated through the trees, forcing the creaking branches to wave like claws. There was no prey, no water, nothing. Just the echoing sound of paw steps.

A single cat followed a straight, bleak path through the decaying forest. Head down but tail still up, eyes staring straight ahead into the thick mist, black pelt almost merging with the shadows. His claws scraped at the ground as he padded his way along the hard earth under paw.

"R-Ravenblaze?" Even though his name was called, he didn't stop, let alone look around. He had no time to waste looking after little lost cats with too many regrets.

"It is you!" He heard the voice again, and annoyance pricked at his pelt. Before he could hiss a warning to whatever cat was following him, the figure of a thin cat appeared before him. He stopped, eyes narrowing to slits and teeth bared.

"Who are you?" He hissed, glaring fiercely at the other cat.

"The cat with half his left ear missing and a cross shaped scar on his chest" The other cat evaluated, nodding his head, "It really is you."

"I asked you who you are!" Ravenblaze demanded, pushing forward to come almost nose to nose with the opposing cat. The tom was pretty thin, with short brown fur and several visible scars along his pelt. He seemed somewhat nervous, but not half as scared as some of the forest cats he'd seen before.

"Acornfrost" He answered wearily, but still dipping his head slightly.

"And what do you want?" Ravenblaze grumbled. He didn't like company. Most Dark Forest cats were either driven insane from the endless wandering in this bleak place, or trying to come up with a plan of revenge or a way out. But there was no way out. They were all dead, and some of them just needed to accept that.

"To ask you something" Acornfrost continued, and carried on before Ravenblaze could argue, "This feeling, you know, the one all the cats are talking about... Every time I ask somebody about it, they always mention you."

Ravenblaze remained silent, watching the brown tom through the thin black slits.

"It's getting in everyone's pelts, and that doesn't happen here very often…" Acornfrost added with a sigh, "Do you know what's going on?"

Again, Ravenblaze didn't say anything immediately. He sat, the cross shaped scar on his chest completely visible now, and gazed up thoughtfully into the sky.

"If it's the same feeling as last time, then _they_ must be back" He replied shortly, standing up once more and padding past a rather confused Acornfrost.

"Who are _they?_" The brown tabby called, and began to follow after Ravenblaze. But the black tom gave an annoyed swish of his tail, stopping Acronfrost in his tracks.

"If it is _them_, then we have nothing to worry about" He hissed, glancing back to Acornfrost. When the brown tom didn't say anything more, he turned his head away and continued padding along the dusty path, heading deeper into the depths of the forest where he would wander around without a real purpose. That was the destiny for every act that ended up in this dreadful place.

"We have nothing to worry about" Ravenblaze muttered, not sure whether Acornfrost could still hear him or not, "We don't. But I can't say the same for the Clans near the coast..."


	4. The Kits and the Rogues

**Chapter 4: The Kits and the Rogues**

"That's mousbrained, especially after what Wolfstreak _just_ said…" Chaoskit sighed, shaking his head in mild disbelief.

After Stingkit's long winded explanation on how they should sneak out of camp one last time while they were still kits, Chaoskit had adamantly objected to the plan, claiming it to be too close to their apprentice ceremonies to be worth the risk. They'd done it before and had been caught by a patrol on several occasions, although there had been a few times when they had come back successful.

"Don't be such a mouse-heart!" Stingkit retorted, his icy blue eyes gleaming in the sunhigh light.

The five kits were sat on the edge of the pool under the FallRock, lazing around in Greenleaf sun. All around them, warriors and apprentices were busy with their daily tasks, as well as constructing the enlargement of the apprentice's den. Cheetahstar and Darkheart were sat either side of the stream on the FallRock, discussing who to take to tonight's gathering. Wildstripe, Wolfstreak, and the white tom Skyhawk were busy pulling leaves away from the wall of the den where the enlargement was to be. The medicine cat, Shimmerpool and her apprentice Ghostpaw were just padding back through the entrance log, each with a jaw full of sweet smelling herbs. Two of the four current apprentices, Cinderpaw and Flamepaw, were dragging the huge leaves that the warriors had taken from the den away to the camp barrier, where Yellowgaze, the ginger she-cat and Thunderclaw, the golden tom were adding the leaves to make the barrier stronger.

"I think we should go for it!" Leopardkit exclaimed, excited as ever.

"Again, I think it's mousebrained…" Chaoskit repeated, trying to enforce his willingness not to go.

"Won't they notice if we're not here?" Razorkit chipped in, swaying more to Chaoskit's way of reasoning over Stingkit's impulsiveness. His brother gave him a hard stare.

"Well then, Leopardkit and I will go!" He announced, standing up and defiantly padding away from the pool, Leopardkit bouncing along behind.

"Oh, you're going to walk straight out the entrance log?" Chaoskit rolled his eyes, "What a great plan."

Stingkit glanced back, eyes blazing, "Who said I was going that way?" He snapped, "I know we'd usually wait 'till night to sneak out, but now I've found a secret exit!"

"Really!" Leopardkit squealed.

"Really?" Chaoskit asked in a somewhat dismissive tone, almost as if he didn't believe him.

"How did you find...?" Razorkit asked, glancing to Silentkit - who looked slightly worried.

Stingkit shrugged, "I saw Nightraven go out that way. Big deal…" He turned away and headed for the Nursery. For a moment Razorkit was sure he was going to go inside, but his defiant brother headed around the side of the den and disappeared around the back, Leopardkit in tow.

There was another brief moment of silence.

Razorkit looked from Chaoskit to Silentkit, "Should we go after them...?"

"They'll probably be eaten by foxes if we don't" Chaoskit grumbled. Silentkit nodded in agreement. Slowly, the three remaining kits wearily padded towards the nursery, trying to act as normal as possible. When they had confirmed no cat was looking, they quickly dived around the back of the den.

Just as Stingkit had said, behind the den was a small hole in the barrier, just tall enough for a warrior to fit through. One by one, the kits hopped through the gap in the barrier and into their camp's surrounding forest. All around them, tall trees and lush green grass surrounded the kits as they padded through a part of the forest they had never explored before.

"I've got their scent!" Chaoskit reported, taking the lead. Razorkit and Silentkit filed in behind him as they swerved around plants and bushes. Twigs poked at their pelts and the grass tickled their bellies. They could feel the ground raising underpaw - they were heading upland, in the direction of MountainClan territory. The only reason Razorkit could tell was that whenever they had previously snuck out of camp, they had always been on the other side of the river where the forest was at its fullest. Here, the land sloped upwards and crags jutted out from the green landscape. The trees were becoming more spaced out and the sun beat down on the open land.

"Be careful" Razorkit warned, "We don't know where the border is."

Chaoskit nodded and they carried on. The scent of the other two kits eventually wandered away from the open space and back into the dense forest surrounding the camp. They were still on the higher ground, presumably just behind the camp as the scents of familiar warriors were blown along with the wind. The sound of flowing water reached their ears as they found themselves standing on the riverbank.

"There's the flower field" Razorkit noted, nodding at the open field dotted with brightly coloured flowers on the other side of the river. That was where the kits had gone the previous times they had snuck out.

"And there's the traveling kits" Chaoskit flicked his ears to where Stingkit and Leopardkit sat on the Riverbank, beside a clump of reeds.

The three kits approached the riverbank with caution - the edge wasn't always stable and the elders told stories of cats that had been swept down river, right the way down to where the forest ended and the Twolegplace began.

"Hey!" Razorkit called, padding slowly onto the sandy bank.

Stingkit looked back, "So you decided to come? How did you find us?"

"I can track scents, you know" Chaoskit sighed, "You should try it. You might actually catch some prey for once."

It was true, even though they were only kits; Chaoskit had managed to catch a mouse once. Razorkit had tried, but never been able to himself.

Stingkit sneered, turning his head back to the river. Leopardkit was greeting Silentkit and patting a space on the bank for her with her tail. Chaoskit sat on the edge of the grass just before the bank, licking his paw and swiping it over his face. Razorkit decided to sit next to his best friend.

"So how long do you intend to stay here?" Chaoskit asked.

"As long as I want" Stingkit retorted, adamant to argue with Chaoskit. Sometimes Razorkit wished the two would just get along.

The kits settled down and let the warmth of the greenleaf sun wash over them. There was a brief scare when they spotted a patrol near the edge of the forest on the other side of the river, and they had to crowd behind the protection of the reeds to remain hidden. Apart from that, it was mostly peaceful.

"So they say birds the size of foxes fly over MountainClan territory!" Leopardkit was saying, entertaining the intrigued Stingkit and Silentkit. Razorkit and Chaoskit were only half listening.

"You never said what you thought about being apprenticed" Chaoskit stated, glancing at Razorkit.

"I don't know what to say" Razorkit sighed, "I know the life of a clan cat means fighting for the clan and protecting the code" He paused a moment, "But I can't help but think we live in such a static way, living the same, dying the same, only to be forgotten in the stars…"

Chaoskit blinked at him, "What would you like, then?"

"I don't know" Razorkit admitted, "_Maybe a change would be nice..._"

He was about to explain further, but Chaoskit silenced him with a flick of his tail. The black tom's chestnut-red eyes were focused hard on something over the river, and he had become stone still.

Curious, Razorkit followed his friends gaze.

Two cats were stood in the Flower Field. One a ginger-brown, one a dusty grey. They sat facing each other, seemingly in conversation.

"Who are they?" Razorkit whispered. He knew even if he spoke normally they wouldn't be able to hear him, but he couldn't force himself to speak up.

"They're not JungleClan" Chaoskit's eyes narrowed, he was whispering too.

"OceanClan...?" Razorkit suggested, knowing only the river separated the JungleClan territory from OceanClan territory. A bit disadvantageous for the forest dwelling cats - seeing as they couldn't swim while the Marsh-dwelling OceanClan cats could.

"I don't think so…" Chaoskit answered. Razorkit was about to ask how he could tell, when he spoke again, "They aren't making any effort to hide themselves" He noted, "If they were OceanClan preparing an attack, they wouldn't be so open."

Razorkit glanced to the sandy bank, where it was obvious the other kits had noticed the strange scent too. They watched, all still, staring at the cats on the other side of the river.

"They aren't clan cats" Chaoskit deduced, his voice dropping even lower, "That must mean..."

"…Rogues."


	5. The Realm Beyond the Stars

**Chapter 5: The Realm Beyond The Stars**

For many cats, be they dead or alive, StarClan or Dark Forest, Clan Cat or Kittypet, there had always been a question none could answer. Many pondered on the possibilities of an answer and some even dared to say they would find out one day, but to no avail.

A question that every cat asked... What is there beyond the stars?

For a Clan cat, many wished to know, but StarClan was their boundary. The Dark Forest cats may ask the same question, but for a cat destined to walk the darkness alone an answer was rare. Even for a curious Kittypet, the question still remained.

But for some cats, that realm beyond the stars would what they will call home.

And in that realm, an age old war was raging on.

A single cat raced across the starlit sky, his body glowing with energy, his pelt made of striking silver lightning. Bright blue eyes shone in the black night, glistening with the light of the stars and the light of his own pelt.

"Ziku!" He heard a voice from behind, but the warning in his name hit him too late. He felt claws rip into his lightning pelt and pain sparked throughout his body. He opened his mouth to screech, but another sudden impact knocked the air from his chest.

"Shadows!" He choked, feeling blood trickled out from the wound on his side. The blood fell into nothing, crackling away into glittering light as if it were made of lightning too. His attacker - another cat, but this one's pelt was a mass of writhing shadows, with jagged, piercing white claws and haunting red eyes - latched onto his pelt with razor-sharp fangs, trying to rip out a chunk of the lightning cat's fur. The two wrestled on the rough ground, the Shadow only loosening his grip when Ziku's lightening-infused claws sent a sparking current through his body. The Shadow Cat screeched - a horrible, loud pitched wailing sound, but was quickly silenced soon after.

"I know, they're everywhere" The cat who had called out his name stood before him, glowing with the light of a pelt made from pure orange fire. In her jaws was a limp body of the Shadow, which was slowly melting away into what looked like wisps of black smoke. When the entire form had disappeared, Ziku pulled himself up.

"Where are the others?" He panted, the pain of the lightning in his pelt closing up the wounds causing him to grind his teeth.

"We had to scatter" The she-cat with the pelt of fire answered, pain evident in her eyes, "I don't know where they went…"

Ziku grumbled something under his breath, and then turned to the she-cat, "We need to go back, Sayra" He mewed urgently, "We need to stop them opening the gate again."

Sayra nodded, "I know that" She told him, "We let four Shadows slip through last time. Any more..." Her eyes wandered away from him into the vast emptiness of space.

"I know" Ziku tried to comfort her, but with all the thoughts in his head he couldn't think clearly. He brushed his tail against her pelt, the lightning of his pelt crackling against the fire on hers.

As the two cats made their way back as hastily as they could, they became increasingly aware of several pairs of plotting crimson eyes resting on them. The unease hung thick in the air and it seemed to take forever to find a companion.

"Ziku! Sayra!" Both stopped as they heard their names called. They were approached by another she-cat, pelt shiny with glittering water and eyes a glowing green. This cat was smaller than both Ziku and Sayra, and seemed to be twice as nervous as either of them.

"Mizu, thank goodness you're alright" Sayra sighed with relief, "Where are Kazen and Rokai?"

"Th-they went to h-help Cyran an-and Raiphyn..." The smaller she-cat stuttered, glancing around nervously, "Are there...?"

"Shadows here?" Ziku sneered, "Yeah, I can feel them watching us. It's making my pelt itch."

"Forget them!" Sayra urged, "We need to deal with the ones closest to the gate!"

"Alright..." Ziku muttered after considering their situation, setting off again with the two she-cats following. He had to keep his pace as average as possible, if he ran any faster, he'd be leaving the two she-cats behind.

He could feel them watching him. They were dangerously outnumbered by the Shadows - Monstrous beings that lived in the form of a cat, but in truth were nothing but a mass of dark energy equipped with a consciousness. The Shadows had been at war with them, The Elementos Cats, for countless moons, spanning the skies above the stars. Most Shadows were easy enough for the Elementos to handle, but some were more skilled than others and had formulated plans against them, resulting in the dwindling number of living Elementos. The living groups scattered and split, each taking to their own part of the sky to try and survive in the battle with the Shadows.

Ziku was part of a group of only seven. He was one of the few remaining Lightning Spirit Elementos left alive. Sayra was a Fire Spirit, and Mizu a Water Spirit. Kazen was the last living Wind Spirit and Rokai one of only a few living Earth Spirits. And then there were Cyran, the Ice Spirit and Raiphyn, the Light Spirit. Each one possessed the ability to control the element of their spirit, and each one's power was unique.

They weren't, however, truly cats either. Like the Shadows, they took the form of cats to live as instead of the formless energy they truly were. It had been many moons since either an Elementos or a Shadow had returned to their own true form, choosing to live as their ancestors had done in the form of a feline.

Sounds of battle could be heard up ahead. The three cats pressed on, paws making no sound as they hit the makeshift pathway. In this realm, the land only appeared where there was life. Some way behind them the forest was fading away into the black sky again. This world they lived in wouldn't last forever. A dimension created upon unstable matter, that was Xyon, the home of the Elementos. The dimension parallel to this, named Noyx, was home to the Shadows. The Shadows saw the Elementos as nothing more than an imperfection that must be eradicated. The Elementos however, weren't going down without a fight.

They burst onto a scene of riot - Masses of Shadows were heading towards a large, shining blue stone in the center of the clearing. The pelts of the Shadow Cats wisped at the edges like thin black smoke and their eyes - all the same shade of red - were focused on the cats clustered at the bottom of the pointed stone.

"Kazen!" Mizu shrieked as for a moment the sleek white tom, Kazen, was lost amongst the Shadows. Ziku let loose a staggering bolt of lightning from his pelt, slicing a path through the crowd of Shadows and freeing Kazen from their claws.

There were more Shadows here than any of them had seen before. They writhed and clambered over each other to make it to the front line, like watching bees in a hive. The shining blue stone in the center stuck up like a needle to the sky, the base smooth except for a large crack right up the middle. The crack gave way to a pure black void, or so it seemed to be. This was the gate - the gateway to the world down below.

Four cats stood in a battle formation around the crack. Kazen had regained his place directly in front, while Raiphyn, the fluffy sandy-gold she-cat stood beside him. Rokai, the large brown tom whose pelt was covered in plants and Cyran, the small silver tom whose pelt was frozen solid stood further back, defending the stone from the sides.

Ziku let loose another shot of Lightning and darted through the path he had created. The bodies of the electrocuted Shadows frizzled away into nothing but black smoke as Ziku leapt up to his comrades.

"Where've you been?" Cyran hissed, "We could've done with some help!"

"Sorry" Ziku apologized, letting lose more lightning on the cats behind him, "I was chasing Shadows."

Mizu and Sayra took up positions next to Kazen and Raiphyn. Together, the group of seven were keeping the Shadows at bay.

"There's no end to this" Kazen grumbled, "They keep regenerating."

He was right. A Shadow could regenerate so long as it didn't have a physical body - which none of them had. This skill was what had given the Shadows the upper hand, as it was impossible for the Elementos Cats to do so. Although there was a limit to the number of times they could regenerate, it was still a nuisance as they were already completely outnumbered.

"What should we do?" Raiphyn asked. Her voice sounded strangely calm even in this mess.

"We can't let them get to the gate" Rokai noted, his voice deep and rumbling.

Sayra gathered up a ball of fire between her jaws and hurled it to the oncoming cats. The smarter ones dived out of the way - but those too slow or just unlucky enough to get caught in the blast were incinerated as the compact ball of fire exploded on impact.

"We can't do this forever!" Sayra mewed urgently, gathering more fire from her pelt into her jaws. Mizu mumbled in agreement, showering the Shadows with sharpened drops of water.

Kazen stopped for a moment, watching the Shadows creep forward like snakes. They were completely outnumbered and running out of options.

_They must have planned this... _Kazen told himself, blasting the Shadow cats back with a burst of wind. _One or more of them planned an assault today... We just have to beat that one..._

"Which one of you is the leader!" Kazen called out into the crowd, partially thinking that the leader wouldn't be as stupid as to reveal himself.

And as he thought, there was no reply. There was a slight muttering from a few Shadows, but none gave him an answer.

_In that case, I'll have to trick some of the more stupid ones._ Kazen deduced, clearing his throat, "I see, your leader is too much of a mouse-heart to speak up!"

"He is not a mouse-heart!" One of the Shadow Cats called, "He cannot answer if he is not here!"

_Not here?_ Kazen thought, _why wouldn't the leader be..._

Then it dawned on him. A sickening realization that made him freeze on the spot. He could feel his white fur spiking up, and his eyes grow wide. His head throbbed with new thoughts and a possibility that could lead to their ultimate destruction.

"Ziku"!" He ordered urgently, "Sayra, Rokai, and Mizu!" He didn't give them time to ask, "You have to go through the gate!"

"What!" All four shouted at almost the same time, each casting a glance away from the battle.

"No time to explain!" Kazen hissed, releasing a large blast of wind at the Shadows, "Listen to me, go through the gate and close it on the other side!" He spun around and gathered the four he had called, pushing them towards the gate.

"But-" Ziku started, "What about you!"

"Forget that!" Kazen shuffled the four closer to the crack in the stone, "Go!"

"Kazen!" Cyran's growl came from behind, where the Shadows were begging to overpower him, "We need a plan here!"

"Just hold them off!" The white tom instructed, "Listen to me" He growled to the four cats pressed close together beside the stone, "Destroy the gate on that side, and I promise one day I'll find a way to bring you home."

"But you won't survive against this many!" Sayra wailed. The group had always thought of Kazen as their leader, because of his tendency to put their safety before his own.

He glanced from Cyran to Raiphyn, who were still battling the Shadows, and then back to the four, "I won't die. Not until I bring you home again" He gently nudged Sayra with his muzzle, pushing them all back a mouse-length more. Now Rokai was stood literally in the crack of the blue stone.

"Go" Kazen mewed, tuning back to the battlefield, "Destroy the gate, and stop these monsters from reaching the lowerworld again."

And with that he was gone, diving straight into the heart of the battle. Cyran and Raiphyn followed his lead and leapt down from the rock, disappearing in the writhing mass of cats. Mizu called out their names in a desperate cry, but all that could be heard was the screeching and thudding sounds of battle.

"Come on" Ziku growled, pulling Mizu back buy the scruff. He didn't like the idea of leaving them, but he had complete faith in Kazen and trusted whatever plan he had come up with.

Rokai disappeared into the gap first, followed by a reluctant Sayra. Ziku nosed Mizu in before him. And then he stopped.

Glancing one last time at the battling cats, he could see Cyran raising pillars of razor-sharp icicles and Raiphyn shooting beams of bright yellow light at the Shadows. Kazen, however, could not be seen.

Taking one last deep breath, Ziku dived for the crack in the stone, saying a silent goodbye to his homeworld.


	6. Growing Unease

**Chapter 6: The Growing Unease**

The five kits watched warily as the rogues took to exploring the field.

"What should we do?" Leopardkit let out a frightened whisper, her fur fluffed up to twice it's usual size.

"We should attack them!" Stingkit hissed defiantly, glaring feircly at the rogues. He didn't seem afraid of them at all. Razorkit admired his brother's bravery, while he sat listening to his own heart pounding in fear.

"Go on then" Chaoskit muttered sarcastically, but with eyes still fixed on the rogues, "Let's see you first swim across the river _and then _take on two rogues all by yourself"

"Shut up" Stingkit snapped, "I don't see you coming up with any ideas"

"I already have" Chaoskit added dryly, "Stay here and make sure they don't see us"

Razorkit glanced to where Silentkit was huddled behind the reeds. She was afraid - that much was obvious. Like Leopardkit, her fur was fluffed up and her eyes were constantly fixed on the rogue duo in the field.

"We have to tell Cheetahstar" Stingkit announced, carefully backing up the slope to join Razorkit and Chaoskit. Leopardkit followed right behind him, and then a wary Silentkit after her.

"And let her know we snuck out of camp _again_?" Chaoskit sniffed, "You can if you want to wait an extra few moons for your apprentice ceremony"

Stingkit considered this for a moment, and then shook his head, "Then what?"

"Let's go back to camp" Razorkit suggested, feeling the longer they stayed out by the river, the more chance that they would be spotted. Chaoskit nodded in agreement.

"When we get back, don't mention it" Chaoskit was instructing as they headed back the way they had come, "It's the gathering tomorrow, and then our apprentice ceremony" He explained, "Once we're apprenticed, if the rogues are still around we can tell the Clan then"

Stingkit nodded, casting a glance over his shoulder to make sure there was nothing suspicious behind. Razorkit padded between his brother and his sister as they approached the land where the trees thinned out, near the MountainClan border.

"Are you alright?" Razorkit whispered to Silentkit. The white she-cat was looking nervously at the rocky ground above them, knowing the MountainClan cats would be just over the rise. Her fur was still fluffed up and her tail quivering.

Despite that she nodded, edging away into the cover of the trees and back into the depth of JungleClan territory. Razorkit followed at the back of the group, rejoicing in the cover of the forest once again.

As the kits snuck back through the gap in the barrier, cats were emerging from their dens and gathering at the pool. Cheetahstar was sat on her stone on the FallRock, with Wildstripe sat on the edge of the stream beside her and Darkheart on his usual ledge.

_Cheetahstar must've called a meeting,_ Razorkit thought, _Good timing._

Cheetahstar sat on the top of the FallRock, perching on the stone just above the waterfall, her golden fur gleaming in the sunlight. Darkheart sat on a crag beside her swept his gaze over the gathered cats, while the warriors settled down. The five kits shuffled into the clearing and squeezed to the front of the crowd, gazing up at the cats on the rocks.

"Cat's of JungleClan" Cheetahstar started, "It has come to my attention that our borders are being breached" She announced, drawing a confused mutter from the gathered cats, "Wildstripe has reported spotting rogues inside the borders!"

"Mangy rogues!" Skyhawk hissed.

"Should we send a patrol to fight them off?" Lionfrost suggested.

"Well isn't _that_ lucky" Chaoskit nudged Razorkit and whispered into his ear.

Cheetahstar held up her tail for silence, "We'll deal with them after tomorrow's gathering" She insisted, gaze hardening, "But there is something else I wish to discuss" She beckoned Thunderclaw and Sparrowpelt onto the FallRock, and the two cat's made it up the rock up in only two leaps. Razorkit admired their agility and deftness as they sat down either side of Wildstripe, looking somewhat nervous to be sat on the important rock.

"It was my patrol that first spotted the rogues on the Flower Field" Wildstipre started to the gathered cats below, "We saw them as they were leaving - crossing the stepping stones into OceanClan territory"

"We must have seen them first" Razorkit whispered to Chaoskit, and the black tom nodded.

"But there was another cat who joined them on that side of the river" Thunderclaw continued to explain, "I'm not sure if it was another rogue, or an OceanClan cat. But they followed the river up into the marshlands"

Mutters broke out in the crowd. Lionfrost and Skyhawk shared a questioning glance, while the apprentices, Flamepaw, Moonpaw, and Rainpaw began a hushed conversation. Cinderpaw sat with her mother Yellowgaze, asking her questions as the warrior tried to speak to Snowpelt and Honeyfur. Vapoursoul mumbled something to Wolfstreak and Lizardfang, to which they both nodded.

"Why would they go into the marshlands?" Razorkit heard Stingkit ask behind him, "Cheetahstar said there's been more cats who've drowned there than in the river"

"As it stands" Cheetahstar cut in, "We do not know if the rogues are aware of the clan territories or not. But if so, they seem pretty confident that they can go where they like"

"What if they're with OceanClan?" Wildstripe asked, mostly to Cheetahstar but somewhat to the cats gathered below, "It makes sense - They could use the rogues to cross into our territory and get an idea of the layout so they could plan an attack. We'd chase out the rogues, unknowing that they'd just return to OceanClan"

Yowls broke out in the camp, loud enough to make Razorkit jump. Skyhawk and Lizardfang jumped to their paws and called out for action to be taken. Darkheart looked like he was going to join in, but a warning glance from Cheetahstar kept him quiet. Nightraven didn't seem to be listening - he was watching Wildstripe with an unreadable gaze.

"That is a theory, yes" Cheetahstar tried to calm her clan, "But until we know for sure what's going on we wont take any action. We may find out something useful at tomorrow's gathering" She informed, stepping back from the FallRock. She beckoned Darkheart and Wildstripe to her den with a flick of her tail, and the cats below dispersed as the three cats disappeared over the FallRock.

"Mangy OceanClan fishbreaths!" Stingkit was hissing next to him, "Working with rogues - how low can you get?"

"That's not certain" Chaoskit reminded him forcefully. Stingkit just glared at him.

"Are you mousbrained?" The black and silver tom hissed, ice blue eyes glinting, "They were lead to the Marshlands by _another_ cat. Surely rogues couldn't navigate the marshlands without the help of an OceanClan cat?"

Chaoskit flattened his ears, "I'm just saying, don't jump to conclusions" He sighed, turning his head away.

Razorkit had zoned out from the bickering pair. His thoughts were whirling with pictures of JungleClan being overrun by rogues and OceanClan cats. For all they knew the other clans might be in on it too - they shared borders with all three clans, so it was possible for an attack on all three fronts. They just needed a reason why, a warrant to give them the excuse to invade.

"Razorkit?"

He snapped from his thoughts to a confused looking Leopardkit, who had her head tilted sideways slightly, "You okay?"

"Y-Yeah" He muttered, taking a deep breath and sighing.

If something was going on, then they'd be apprentices by the time any action came. Razorkit couldn't decide if that was a good or a bad thing, but he knew it was inevitable.

He just hoped the battle would be over quickly when it came.


	7. The Crossing

**Chapter 7: The Crossing**

Crossing between worlds hadn't been as instantaneous as Ziku thought it would be. The four Elementos Cats were drifting along in what looked like a tunnel of glowing colours, like they were floating through a glimmering rainbow. All of them were stunned with the dancing colour show.

"Are we...?" Sayra started, but didn't really know how to finish.

"Shouldn't we be...Y'know, getting to another world?" Ziku pointed out after a while, tail twitching in annoyance. The light show was spectacular, but he couldn't keep his thoughts away from the friends he'd left behind, and what Kazen's plan could've been. He would never admit it out loud, but he had doubts over whether Cyran, Raiphyn and Kazen could win the battle without them. Against that number of Shadows, he had to hope that their resilience would be enough.

"We just have to believe in them" Rokai stated calmly as if reading Ziku's thoughts, "It'll work"

Kazen hurled away the onslaught of Shadows with a razor-sharp slice of wind, before hurrying to the Gate to join Cyran. The other tom's pelt glistened in the sun, but many of the shards of ice that made up his fur had snapped and were beginning to dull and melt. Raiphyn emerged from behind them, still firing shots of blinding light at the oncoming cats.

"You do have a plan, right?" Cyran mumbled, jaw full of Shadow Cat.

"Somewhat" Kazen admitted, grimacing slightly from his wounds. Although they healed quickly, the pain didn't always leave until sometimes days after the battle. His smooth white fur had been ruffled more than he'd liked and his muscled ached with the none stop fighting.

"I was hoping for a 'yes' or an 'of course'" Cyran huffed, dropping the limp body of the Shadow, "So what does 'somewhat' mean?"

"It means I-" Kazen started, but was cut off.

"Look!" Raiphyn exclaimed, her voice high with surprise. Kazen and Cyran whipped around to join her, only to be surprised too by what they were seeing.

The leagues of Shadows were backing away. They turned tail, some of them fleeing into the trees, others watching the three remaining Elementos with crimson eyes. From all sides, it looked like the cats they had been fighting were giving up.

"They're retreating!" Cyran exclaimed, a victorious glint in his eyes, "D'you think they'll get the message this time?"

Kazen hardly heard him - he was watching the retreating cats with a thick sense of relief. But that relief was soon to be shattered.

"It doesn't make sense" Raiphyn was saying, although Kazen was only half listening while watching the retreating cats, "Why would they retreat now, when we were so low in number?"

If he'd had time to think about it, Kazen might've come up with a reason for the Shadows sudden change in tactic. But the battle was changing faster than he could keep up.

An explosion overhead jerked all three of them from their thoughts. Splinters of shiny rock rained down on them and earthy-brown dust clouded their vision. The force of the blow had knocked Kazen away from the other two, down onto the torn up grass below the Gate. He could hear Raiphyn screech loudly as she was blown backwards, and Cyran yowl in shock. For a moment, the white tom lay dazed on the ground as he watched the shards of rock rain down around him and the dust swirl above him in drifting wisps. The only thing he could hear was the blood pulsing in his ears and the thump of his heartbeat. He blinked several times, eyes becoming clouded and blurry with dust.

Grimacing with a new, spiking pain in his neck and a numbness in his hind legs, Kazen rolled over and pulled himself onto his paws. He felt awkward standing for some reason, but all he could focus on was finding his friends in the chaos. Through the dust he could only just make out the shapes of the remaining Shadow Cats, hurling blobs of dark energy towards the gate.

He tried to leap for them, but tumbled over when immense pain shook his body. Even with the dust in his eyes, he could clearly make out the sharpened shard of rock wedged in his pelt. Blood welled up and dribbled from the gash between his flesh and the stone, cutting off all feeling and movement to his hind legs.

_No! _He again tried to stand, but he was rapidly loosing hope to fight again.

"Cyran! Raiphyn!" He called desperately, hoping they weren't as badly injured as he was, "They're trying to destroy the gate!"

The cats enjoying the peace in StarClan were rather rudely interrupted by the sudden rumbling of the ground. As they all questioned the sudden disturbance, the sky seemed to explode with colour, an aurora of bright light taking the place of the clear blue sky before it. A single white star streaked across the colours, leaving in it's wake a trail of glowing energy.

Cats of all age and rank called out as the ground shook harder, throwing them up into the air and then back down with a bone shaking thud. Sound like thunder echoed throughout the lush hunting grounds, disturbing the bountiful prey and the many cats hunting them.

"What's happening?"

"Look at the sky!"

"The ground's shaking!"

The sky continued to burn with colour as the ground shook harder. The white streak blazed on across the sky, showing no signs of slowing down.

On the other side of the stars, the cats of the Dark Forest were equally stunned.

"Wh-What...?" Acornfrost stared at his paws as the ground shook, displacing the ever hanging mist in the air. The trees creaked louder than ever, some even toppling over, and the bleak black sky exploded with colour. For what seemed like once in forever, the forest that was usually shrouded in darkness was alive with light and sound.

"R-Ravenblaze!" The brown tom hurried along the way the black cat had left, stumbling as the ground shook.

Ravenblaze himself seemed content with the situation, pacing along the path without the shaking ground bothering him. He kept his eyes forward, ignoring the multitude of colours in the sky and the fading mist. A warm wind tugged at his pelt . The smell of burning reached his nose.

"Ravenblaze!" Acornfrost called, catching up to the scarred black tom, "Wh-What's happening?"

Ravenblaze glanced back at Acornfrost, this time showing less ferocity, "Nothing you need to worry about" He repeated, to Acornfrost's disbelief. The sky was burning, the ground tearing itself apart. How could he call this _nothing?_

Before he could ask, Ravenblaze had vanished into the remaining mist. There was no trace of him, nor his scent or the odd calm he radiated in the situation. Acornfrost stared across the path, cracks forming in the ground where the earth was misplacing itself.

Just what was happening to their home?


	8. Collision

**Chapter 8: Collision**

The sound of gently rustling leaves and the constant echo of the waterfall kept the camp out of silence. But the night air, strangely warm even in the Greenleaf season, lulled the JungleClan cats into a restful sleep. The moon was only a clawscratch away from being full, and it radiated its silvery-white glow down onto the one kit who lay awake in the night.

Razorkit couldn't sleep. He sat on the FallRock, on the stone in the middle of the stream where Cheetahstar would address the clan from. He watched the water cascade over the edge of the rock and into the pool, obscuring the reflection of the moon and the stars. Spray drizzled onto his pelt, slowly soaking him. It wasn't helping him sleep, but that wasn't the only thing.

He was worried. About the rogues they had seen on the field, about the sudden revelation that OceanClan could be involved, and the possible threat of attack. He was even worried about his own apprentice ceremony, whether he was good enough to be a warrior or whether he would be regarded as weak and cast aside by his clanmates. He somewhat wished he could see things as Stingkit and Leopardkit did, as a challenge or as an exciting adventure. He wondered about Silentkit's view of the world, unspoken but clear as her eyes. He wondered too about what Chaoskit would do. He seemed to have a solution to every problem, and although he dismissed fighting he had the ability to think like a warrior. He had been praised several times before for helping come up with battle strategies incase of attack and the warriors acknowledged him.

What about Razorkit? Stingkit could fight well. Leopardkit had all the makings of a great hunter. Chaoskit was already seen as a smart cat and Silentkit brought peace to any situation. But as he had noticed several times since his birth, Razorkit was lost in the middle.

He glanced up at the stars. Could the cats in StarClan see him here?

He always felt a nagging sense inside himself whenever he dwelled on the topic. Perhaps he was jealous of the other kits' qualities, the perks about them that made them different. But he would never wish harm on them, not if it was to save his own life. He wanted to protect them more than anything else in the world. But how could he do it, if he couldn't prove himself?

Sighing with the growing headache in his mind, Razorkit shook his head, droplets of water spraying from his whiskers and into the pool below. He watched them fall until they became one with the water, they too lost in the bigger picture. The moon seemed to glow brighter than ever now, shining down onto the camp.

Looking up this time at the moon, with round eyes, Razorkit noticed it was actually not the moon that was so bright, but a single star. It shone beside the moon, making the pockmarked circle look dull and grey against the black.

_StarClan?_ Razorkit wondered, eyes glittering with the bright star's light. _Can you see me?_

The colours began to seperate. And so did the cats.

"Woah!" Ziku excalimed as he felt himself drifting backwards, away from his three friends. He kicked desperately out with his hind paws, but there was nothing to push himself from. The lightning buzzed in his pelt and he could feel the air pressure dropping.

"Ziku!" Sayra cried as she too was pulled away from them.

"We're b-being pu-pulled apart!" Mizu screeched, looking smaller and smaller as she drifted away, into the glowing colours. Shimmering water droplets flew from her pelt as she writhed around in the air.

"Rokai!" Ziku shouted, "What's going on!"

"I don't know!" The tom sounded more distressed than usual, desperately searching for something to hang on to.

But there was nothing around them except the dispersing stream of colours. The four Elementos Cats watched helplessly as they were pulled apart, the colour fading to white and the air turning warm.

After a few moments of drifting, now completely lost from the other cats, Ziku began to make out trees and land in the distance. Beyond the trees there were mountains to the east, to the west a desert like area covered in rocks and pools of sand. And even further on was a vast expanse of water that stretched on for as far as he could see.

_Is that the lowerworld?_ He asked himself, surprised at how similar it looked to his homeworld.

He looked at his paws, his tail, to make sure he was uninjured. The silver lightning still pulsed through his pelt and his claws were still sharp, although bloodstained. The tang of blood still hung in his mouth. The memories of Shadows were still fresh in his mind.

He looked up. And then with a jolt he realized something that made him look down again.

He could see _through_ his paws. They were still there, but he could make out the trees and the night covered forest _through_ them.

Twisting around in panic, he checked his back and his tail.

It was the same.

_Wha-? Why...Why am I a ghost?_

He flipped over in the air, spinning as he fell. A faint cover of white still surrounded him and the ground seemed to be approaching faster every heartbeat.

_Were we not meant to come to this world? _Ziku's mind was spinning, _At this rate, I'll vanish completely!_ He could feel his heart racing in his chest, _There has to be a way! There has to be a way to stop this!_

Razorkit watched, stunned as the star split into four. They splintered off in different directions over the territories, leaving a trail of white behind them and a faint glow of colour in their wake. They sliced through the sky with incredible speed, cutting the black backdrop into quarters. And it was that speed that made him realize in one sickening moment that one was heading _straight for the camp._

A clearing came into view. Ziku was panicking, twisting and turning as he fell but never altering his course. He looked to the ground, dersperately trying to judge how much time he had left before the impact. He could make out a stream, as well as what looked like some kind of dens in the clearing. The stream flowed across a tall rock and over the edge forming a small waterfall, and then out of the clearing to join a river further south. In the very middle of the stream, just above the falls, was a rock. And perched on the rock, staring at him with bright blue eyes, was a cat.

_Move! Warn Cheetahstar! Do something!_

Fear washed over Razorkit like an icy wave. He willed himself to run into the cover of the leaders den, to wail out and warn the clan of the glistening falling star. But he was frozen, still as a stone, rooted to the rock on which he sat. Despite the unusually warm air, a cold chill tinged his pelt and his fur stood on end, eyes growing wider every moment. Blood roared in his ears. His muscles ached. There was nothing he could do.

_A...Cat?_

For a heartbeat Ziku forgot that he was falling from the skies, slowly being erased from existence. He focused on the small silver tomcat gazing at him from the rock, an idea forming in his mind. Willing himself to move in his direction, he aimed for the place he would fall.

The last thing Razorkit remembered was the sound of a wailing cat, and the blinding white light that after a single heartbeat faded to immense black. And the faint tingle of lightning running through his pelt.


	9. A Prophecy of Demise

**Chapter 9: A For Prophecy of Demise**

The golden rays of the morning sun never reached the den behind the waterfall, but Cheetahstar knew that dawn had arrived by the sudden wave of forest calls, from the squawking of the birds to the squeaking of the mice. It was the day of the Gathering, she noted to herself, she would have to organize the attending patrol and decide on the mentors of the kits who were to be apprenticed tomorrow.

She lifted herself from her nest and gave herself a quick wash before heading out into the camp. It was half way through Greenleaf now, and things only got harder from this point on. Having more apprentices would certainly be useful during the colder months. She was glad her clan was thriving now.

Bounding up the FallRock, Cheetahstar was surprised to see Razorkit asleep on the stone in the stream. Curious, she padded over.

"Razorkit?" She questioned, tilting her head slightly to one side. The silver kit gave no response. He wasn't curled up on the stone, but sprawled out with his tail dangling in the water and jaws parted.

"Razorkit" She repeated, nudging the small kit with her muzzle.

He was stone cold.

Ziku's eyes snapped open.

He was lying on a warm, sandy ground with the sound of waves and the rustling of leaves soothing his ears. The salty tang in the air and the smell of fragrant flowers overwhelmed him for a moment, but the memories of the past day forced him to snap out of his daydream.

He sat up slowly, surprised that he wasn't at all injured from the fall, and shook the sand from his pelt. He resented to realize that he was still an almost transparent ghost-cat, but he was relieved that the lightning still buzzed through his body and that he hadn't lost all his powers. He was alive, at least, and that was good enough for him. But had his plan worked?

Glancing around, he saw nothing but the golden sandy cove and the clear blue sea, stretching out for what seemed like forever. And a small silver kit sat on the shore.

_That's the cat from yesterday. _

"Hey!" Ziku called, but the kit didn't respond. He sat, still as ice, watching the ever changing sea with eyes of exact same colour.

Grumbling, he padded over to the shoreline, feeling the warmth of the sun and the sand bathe his pelt. He walked until his paws were submerged in water, and then poked the small kit with a soaking forepaw.

"Hey!" He repeated, tail twitching.

The kit twisted around, eyes widening in surprise when he saw the Elementos cat. The silver tom jumped backwards away from the water, fur fluffed up and hackles raised.

"Wh-Who're you?" He stuttered, looking small even with his puffed out fur.

"Ziku, Spirit Cat of Lightning" Ziku nodded to the kit. He blinked back.

"What?"

"My name's Ziku!"

The kit blinked again. He tilted his head to one side.

"I can't hear you"

Razorkit gazed at the cat stood in front of him. He was the size of a warrior, maybe a little bigger, but he wasn't like any cat Razorkit had seen before. His pelt was almost see-through and was covered in what looked like silver lightning.

"Are you from StarClan?" Razorkit whispered, eyes widening more.

The cat looked confused, and realizing that Razorkit couldn't hear what he said, instead shook his head.

"Oh..." Razorkit looked down, pain welling in his chest, "I...I thought I was killed by that star... And I thought a StarClan cat would take me away..." He started, trying not to choke on his thoughts, "But I ended up here..." He looked around at the beach, "I dreamed about this place a lot when I was alive... But I don't know where this is..."

Ziku's heart seemingly paused for a moment. _Did I kill this cat?_

Guilt instantly took over him. The kit didn't know that he was inside his own mind, where Ziku had taken refuge. The plan was to use the kit's spirit as a place where he wouldn't fade out, and then figure out a way of shutting the gate from in here. He had no idea the impact would've killed the kit.

"I'm..." Ziku was about to apologize, but stopped when he remembered the kit couldn't hear him anyway. He stared at the lost kit, looking alone and afraid in his own mind.

_It's my fault he died..._ Ziku sighed, unable to shake off the gnawing sense of guilt from his pelt. He had a million and one things to do already, finding the other Elementos cats would be hard enough, and finding the gate in this world would be even harder. But as of now, doing any of that was impossible if the vessel he was living in was dead.

_I suppose there's only one thing I can do._

Padding over to the other cat, he placed his tail on the kit's shoulder and shut his eyes calmly.

_You can share my life._ Knowing the kit couldn't hear him, he went over the words in his head, words he had heard his own clan speak before they had disbanded, _You shall become I, I shall become you, we shall become one. The place we meet shall serve as a medium between the spirit that we share. From now until our goal is met, the anguish, pain and suffering you feel will shared between two._

_And I'm sorry for putting you through all this._

Razorkit didn't know what was happening, but a few moments after the strange new cat had placed his tail on him, the sun-bathed beach cove began to fade. The vast expanse of water and the warm golden sand, the trees and the cliffs and the stones, even the ghostly cat. Everything vanished into nothing almost as fast as it had come.

_Am I going to StarClan now? _Razorkit wondered, glancing around the nothingness, _Why is everything dark?_

_"From highest sky to lowest ground,  
>From faintest noise to loudest sound,<br>Through day and night,  
>Through cold and warmth,<br>Search until the one is found."_

_Wha... Who-Who's there! _Razorkit wanted to cry out, but his jaws wouldn't open.

_"Search upon the mountains high,  
>Search upon the oceans wide,<br>Search upon the desert dry,  
>For every moon, one more will die"<em>

"It's a mystery; he wasn't hurt and he wasn't ill"

"Then how did he die?"

"StarClan knows..."

The first sounds that reached Razorkit as he woke we the voices of a pair of she-cats. The sounds were hazy and he was only able to pick out pieces of the conversation.

"Cat's don't just die for no reason, Shimmerpool!"

"I know, Cheetahstar, but..."

His body felt numb. He couldn't even open his eyes, let alone move. He couldn't feel where he was, whether it be the sand of the beach or the stone on which he fell asleep on. His jaws open, he could taste river water in his mouth, and the faint taste of salt. The air carried the scent of JungleClan, he realized with great relief, and particularly the scent of the two she-cats.

Cringing with the effort, he brushed his foreleg against the stone, trying to maneuver himself into a sitting position, and forcing open his eyes.

_I'm alive. I'm not dead. That cat didn't take me to StarClan._

He was slowly regaining his senses. His eyes finally focusing, the first thing he saw was Cheetahstar and Shimmerpool sat only a few tail-lengths away from him, immersed in conversation.

"Chee-" He didn't even get to finish.

"He's alive!" Shimmerpool exclaimed, dashing over to the kit and sniffing him over, "He wasn't taken to StarClan!" She nosed him from nose to tail-tip.

"How...?" Cheetahstar was staring at him wide-eyed, fur spiking up slightly.

"It's a miracle!" Shimmerpool was overjoyed, and after a while the long-haired ginger she-cat stepped away from Razorkit, eyes glimmering with happiness.

Razorkit blinked, "How long was I asleep...?"

"_Asleep?_" Cheetahstar almost choked, "Razorkit, what happened to you?"

He paused a moment, letting the memories flood back to him.

"I was hit by a _star!_" He shouted, "And I went to this beach and met another cat but he didn't speak and this voice came to me after... But I was hit by a star!"

"Hit by a star?" Shimmerpool blinked.

"Hit by a star?" Cheetahstar repeated afterwards, "Are you sure?"

"Positive!" Panic washed over him and he was suddenly afraid that the medicine cat and the leader wouldn't believe him, "I couldn't sleep so I came to sit out here, and then this star split into four and part of it hit me!"

Silence greeted him afterwards. The two she-cats shared a dubious glance, and Razorkit's worry turned to anger.

"Why don't you believe me!"

Cheetahstar sighed, "Because stars don't just _fall, _Razorkit. It's most likely you dreamed it all"

Shimmerpool whispered something to her, and the golden she-cats eyes darkened. The way she looked at Razorkit, he'd never seen her look at any cat before.

"I don't want you to go around telling everyone about this" She ordered, her voice a low growl, "Some cats might think flees have eaten parts of your brain"

"But it really happened!" Razorkit protested, standing up to his clan leader, "The was a star, and a cat, and a beach-"

"No more!" Cheetahstar hissed, drawing a surprised look from even Shimmerpool, "If I catch you saying another word about it, I'll have you and your littermates' apprentice ceremonies moved back a month, understand?"

Razorkit looked from Cheetahstar to Shimmerpool. The Medicine cat gazed at him sympathetically, and when he couldn't find the words to answer, she took the liberty of doing it for him.

"I think he understands" She soothed, "You should sleep, Cheetahstar. I'll have Darkheart organize everything today"

The leader blinked like she'd forget Shimmerpool was even there, and then nodded in agreement. Without another word, she padded back across the FallRock and down into her den.

"Why?" Razorkit turned to Shimmerpool, eyes brimming with tears, "Why won't she believe me?"

"She was worried about you" The she-cat assured him, wrapping a bushy tail abound him, "She's just angry because we thought you were hurt"

"But why..." Razorkit sniffed, glancing up at the ginger cat, "You believe me, don't you...?"

She didn't say anything, just gave him that same sympathetic look, "At least don't say anything about it for now" She advised, "Otherwise your littermates might be angry"


	10. Holding Silence

**Chapter 10: Holding Silence**

_But I was hit by a star! I was! I was! Why don't they believe me? _

Razorkit stumbled into the nursery to find everyone but Whitefoot still asleep. His mother Vaporsoul laid in her nest, curled with Stingkit and Silentkit beside her. Chaoskit slept peacefully beside Whitefoot, while Leopardkit had chosen to sleep on the back of an irritated looking Honeyfur. Apart from that, they all looked so content.

"I was wondering where you'd got to" Whitefoot whispered with relief, as all three Queens tended treat all the kits as their own, "It's strange not seeing you five together, even for a moment"

"S-Sorry" Razorkit apologized, suppressing the urge to tell her, or anyone, about the star. He wanted to crawl into his nest and forget the whole experience, but the tingling sensation in his pelt which had been present ever since the star hit him was keeping him up. Sighing with an angry sense of irritation, he headed back into the camp and took his usual place beside the pool.

"You look sad. What's up?"

He was surprised to hear the voice of his father stood next to him; he hadn't even realized he was there. He glanced up at the thin white cat stood over him, emerald eyes shining in the sun.

"I-It's nothing" Razorkit muttered, wary of the leader's presence in the den behind the waterfall.

"Really?" Wildstripe mused, "Doesn't look like it. You're being apprenticed tomorrow, remember?"

"I know" Razorkit sighed, "I'm looking forward to it, really" He tried to convince his father - and himself. To be honest it wasn't really working.

He obviously hadn't been very convincing, because his father sat beside him, pressing their fur together, "You know if something's wrong, you can tell me, right?"

_I want to! I really do! _Annoyance pricked at the silver kit's pelt. Why couldn't Cheetahstar believe him?

"I'll take you on a patrol tomorrow" Wildstripe purred, "I don't give a mousetail who your mentor is; I'm taking my kits out first!"

Razorkit purred back, slightly enlightened by his father's spirit, "Thanks" He nodded, "I've not really tried to guess who my mentor will be" He admitted.

"Well" Wildstripe started, "From my amazing future-seeing powers, I can tell you it won't be Skyhawk, Lizardfang, Snowpelt or Wolfstreak!"

Razorkit purred louder at Wildstripe's attempts to amuse him, "That's because they all have apprentices already!"

"Oh, well, that may be the reason" The white warrior nudged him affectionately, "You'll be a great warrior, whoever your mentor is"

Razorkit felt better now than he had done in days. He was lucky to have such a great father, who was willing to take the time from his warrior duties to play with his kits and to keep them happy. He wished he could be an apprentice more than ever, so he could hunt and patrol with him and help him out whenever he could. Both he and Vaporsoul had been there for him ever since he was born, and he was finally realizing how much it meant to him.

Razorkit gazed up at his father, "Are you going to the gathering tonight?"

"I don't know" He sighed, and looked up, "Am I?"

Razorkit followed the white tom's gaze upwards, to see a black head and chestnut-red eyes peering over the FallRock, watching them.

"Yes, you are" Darkheart purred, abandoning his hiding place, "Sharp as ever, I see"

"I have to be, or you'd have my tail" Wildstripe nudged the deputy as the black tom sat beside them. Razorkit blinked, Darkheart always seemed so stern when he was at the meetings, but now with Wildstripe, the two acted like apprentices.

"Who else is going?" Wildstripe questioned.

"Wolfstreak, Skyhawk, Thunderclaw, Nightraven, Tawnyfur, Amberleaf, Snowpelt, Lizardfang, Sparrowflight and the four apprentices" Darkheart listed out the names.

"Do you want me to tell them?"

"If you don't mind"

As Wildstripe padded away, reciting the names of the cats out loud, Razorkit nodded goodbye to Darkheart and headed back towards the nursery, the tingling in his pelt fading. As he entered the warm and dark den, he noticed Chaoskit had woken too.

"You weren't in your nest last night" Chaoskit stated, not looking up from washing his pelt, "Where did you go?"

Razorkit's heart jumped for a moment as he suddenly couldn't think of what to say. Thoughts flashed through his mind as he desperately searched for something to tell his best friend, something that was as close to the truth as he could get it but not so much that Cheetahstar would punish him. He opened his mouth, but no words came.

Chaoskit noticed the pause, "I wasn't accusing you of anything, you know" He mumbled as he picked at a burr in his pelt, "Don't look so surprised"

Razorkit sighed at how easily Chaoskit could read him. It was hardly a surprise - They'd known each other from birth and spent the last six moons together in the nursery, and they got along with each other better than the other kits.

_Maybe I should tell him? _

Razorkit shook his head, _No, I can't. Darkheart is his father, and the deputy. If he heard us..._

"Now you're just scaring me" Chaoskit gave him that sarcastic blink, "Since when did you lose your voice?"

"I haven't" Razorkit reassured him, a hint of amusement in his voice, "Don't worry, I'm fine"

"Good" Chaoskit sounded relieved, "I thought I'd have to resort to talking to Stingkit"

Razorkit purred, "Let's go into camp" He suggested, "It's our last day as kits, and we might as well do something"

The two toms made their way into camp on their last day as kits. First thing tomorrow they would be stood below the FallRock receiving their apprentice names. Then it would be hunting, patrolling and serving the clan for the rest of their days. Maybe even one of them would become leader.

"I think you'd make a good leader" Chaoskit said out of nowhere as if reading the silver kit's thoughts, making Razorkit jump.

"_Really?_" He asked, stunned, "Why?"

Chaoskit shrugged casually, "You just seem like the type of cat I'd want to lead a clan"

"But what about you?"

"Being leader is too much trouble. I'd rather serve my days and then retire to the elders den"

"...Really?"

"Yeah...Why are you giving me that look?"

"Because you're lazy" Razorkit laughed, flicking the other tom's ear with his tail-tip.

He shrugged again, "Runs in the family"

"Huh?"

"Darkheart said his sister was lazy"

"Your dad had a sister?"

Chaoskit yawned, lying down at the edge of the pool, "Yeah, he had three littermates. Two brothers, Nightraven and Ravenblaze, and a sister, Ebonypaw. He doesn't talk about them much though."

"I never knew" Razorkit blinked, "I never asked Wildstripe if he had any siblings besides Wolfstreak"

"You should ask" Chaoskit told him, "You never know when you won't get another chance"

The rest of the day was spent lazing around in the Greenleaf heat, occasionally dipping in the slow-flowing river. The warriors got on with their duties with the busy apprentices scampering around after them. During the course of the day, Razorkit and Chaoskit had been joined by their other three denmates, and the odd occasion when a warrior would sit with them and wish them look for tomorrow.

"Everyone's making such a fuss about it" Chaoskit huffed, "It's like they've never seen kits become apprentices before"

"I hope they aren't expecting too much from us" Razorkit admitted, shuffling his paws. Stingkit snorted.

"Well, I'll just have to set the standard for the rest of you to follow!" He declared cheerfully. Chaoskit simply rolled his eyes while Silentkit let out a sigh.

"You'll all be fine" The kit's turned to see Thunderclaw, approaching with Wildstripe, Darkheart and Wolfstreak. Leopardkit squealed and leaped for he father, and the golden warrior dramatically toppled over and pretended to be pinned down. Wildstripe pressed his muzzle against Silentkit, who purred at her father's gesture. While Wolfstreak was giving encouragement to Razorkit and Stingkit, Chaoskit padded over to sit beside his father.

"You're going to the gathering soon?" He asked, gazing up at the deputy.

"Hmm" Darkheart nodded, noticing Cheetahstar emerging from her den and gathering the required cats.

"Do you think Cheetahstar will mention anything about the rogues?" Chaoskit enquired further, drawing a sigh from his father.

"It's not really the thing to discuss with kits" He admitted, but continued, "I honestly don't know. Wildstripe had a point with what he said, but we can't be sure for now. I can't afford to make any rash discussions"

"I know" Chaoskit agreed, "But the fact that they were heading to OceanClan territory is what's bugging me. OceanClan has borders with us, as well as DesertClan and MountainClan. But the only other area that isn't a border with a clan is the coast, and the ocean beyond it. That means for the rogues to have got to OceanClan in the first place, they would have to have either taken a route through the mountains and through MountainClan territory, or come from the Twolegplace and through our territory. Since the only scent of rogues we've had reported is on the Flower Field, that almost certainly means they came through MountainClan territory. And whatever way you put it, that's suspicious in itself"

Darkheart blinked in amazement at how much his son had managed to analyze in such a short period of time. He shut his eyes and sighed ruefully, "I might as well retire and let you take over as deputy. That never even crossed my mind" He sounded almost serious.

This time it was Chaoskit who snorted, "No thanks" He muttered, "It's enough trouble keeping these four in check"

"Maybe Acidstar will say something at the gathering tonight?" Darkheart thought out loud, and shrugged with a sigh.

"Darkheart" Cheetahstar called his name as she approached, flicking her ears, "It's time to leave"

"Alright" The black tom nodded, and touched his nose to his son, before turning to join the golden spotted leader. Wolfstreak and Thunderclaw followed afterwards, saying a short goodbye to the kits.

"Tell me what happened at the gathering tomorrow!" Stingkit called as Wildstripe took his turn to leave. The white tom glanced back at the kits, emerald eyes sparkling.

"Of course I will!" He promised, "And I'll catch you the juiciest mouse I can find when you become apprentices!" He shouted over, before disappearing with the rest of the group through the entrance log, and off to the gathering.

_The juiciest mouse, huh? _Razorkit smiled; _At least I have one thing to look forward to._


	11. Broken Promise

**Chapter 11: Broken Promise**

Razorkit didn't remember going to sleep. He remembered watching the gathering patrol leave, and then being called into the Nursery by Vaporsoul along with his littermates and their friends. He remembered curling up between his brother and sister, and for the first time noticing how small the crowded the den seemed. He remembered watching the camp through the small entrance to the den, and eventually becoming entranced by the silver glint of light reflecting of the waterfall.

He must've drifted off soon after that, because now, the sight and sound of the camp had vanished. Only the voices of the past few days came to him.

"_Hit by a star_?" The joint voices of Shimmerpool and Cheetahstar echoed through his mind, causing him to shiver. He had always seen his leader as the kind and caring she-cat that would do anything for the sake of her clan, but since that time, he found he couldn't look her in the eye. He had kept his faith in Shimmerpool, who despite not claiming to believe him had comforted him after the leader's harsh words.

"_I think you'd make a good leader_" He remembered that was what Chaoskit had said to him the day before. He wondered how it must feel to have the responsibility of the entire clan on your shoulders, when every cat from kit to elder looked to you for guidance. The way he was now, it seemed so far from his paws.

_"And I'll catch you the juiciest mouse I can find when you become apprentices!" _He was enlightened when his father's voice echoed through his thoughts, melting the cold sense of mistrust he now felt towards his leader. Wildstripe was going to take him on a patrol in the morning, when they were apprentices and finally out of the nursery. He had no idea how long it was until sunrise, but the anticipation wasn't getting in the way of his sleep.

He wanted to wake up. He wanted to take that first leap into apprentice and make his father proud. Maybe he could even convince Cheetahstar to believe him about the star, make her see him again without those hostile eyes.

Razorkit willed himself to wake. But before he could, he heard one final voice. So much quieter than the others, but he could just make out the words.

_"From highest sky to lowest ground,  
>From faintest noise to loudest sound,<br>Through day and night,  
>Through cold and warmth,<br>Search until the one is found._

_Search upon the mountains high,  
>Search upon the oceans wide,<br>Search upon the desert dry,  
>For every moon, one more will die"<em>

_"For every moon, one more will die"_

The final line of the chilling rhyme played over as the silver kit's bright blue eyes snapped open. Razorkit held his breath for a moment, he'd been breathing heavily and his fur was spiked up, as if he was preparing for battle. The den was still dark; it took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the blankness.

The queens weren't in their nests. Razorkit was still sat between Stingkit and Silentkit, but Vaporsoul was no longer curled protectively around them like she always would. Glancing across the den, he made out the separate shapes of both Chaoskit and Leopardkit, but without Whitefoot and Honeyfur.

It was only when he pulled himself from between his littermates that he heard more voices. Voices from outside the den, and what hit him hardest and what he almost choked on.

A thick, continuous wave of fear-scent, mingled by the pungent smell of blood.

The sensation was staggering, so much so that Razorkit had to turn away from the den entrance to be able to breathe properly. He stood rigid, contemplating the possibility that he was still dreaming, and waited. Nothing happened. The smell had filled the entire den. It was making him choke.

He had to get out.

Ignoring the urge to wake up his denmates, Razorkit bounded for the den entrance and squeezed through the gap. It had been only last moon he could easily hop through the thin hole in the den wall, but now he found his pelt getting caught in the tightly woven twigs. Half jumping, half falling, he landed face first onto the camp floor.

The moon was still out, and the sky still black. It wasn't even sunrise yet. The fear-scent was still thick in the air, but the slow breeze was dispersing it throughout the sky.

"R-Razorkit...!" He turned as Skyhawk almost collided with him. The white and brown tom's fur was matted, parts of it stuck together with drying clumps of blood. His muzzle was still dripping, a single stream of crimson blood flowing from a deep claw scratch that bridged his nose. His amber eyes were lit with worry; he opened his jaw to say something, but decided against it. Without saying anything, he leapt away from the kit and across to Thunderclaw, who was staggering through the entrance tunnel.

_What happened to them...?_ Razorkit gasped, watching the golden warrior struggling to make it to the Medicine Cat's den. His hind left leg had been deeply cut, and he walked awkwardly one three legs while the injured leg dragged. Blood coated his shoulders and he left a trail until he disappeared into Shimmerpool's den, while Ghostpaw, the medicine cat apprentice, passed him and Skyhawk a bundle of herbs.

It was the same everywhere he looked. Snowpelt and Sparrowflight were each licking their wounds, while huddling close to Moonpaw and Rainpaw, who both looked terrified. Yellowgaze, although bleeding herself, was cautiously licking Flamepaw's right ear where he now had a v-shaped tear. Cinderpaw was laying the other side of Yellowgaze, cobwebs filled in the long but shallow gash she showed across her back. Nightraven padded across the clearing, looking less damaged than the others, seeking out his brother Darkheart. The black warrior asked something, to which the deputy shook his head. Both brothers gazed at the ground.

"Razorkit?" This time it was Lionfrost who had noticed him. The large golden warrior wasn't hurt at all. He looked down at Razorkit with an expression that, in this state, he couldn't read.

_It's all the cats that went to the gathering!_ He finally realized, looking around desperately at all the injured cats scattered around the camp.

"Where're Wildstripe and Wolfstreak?" Razorkit managed to squeak out after a moment, noticing that he hadn't seen his father or his uncle in the clearing. Lionfrost didn't say anything at first. When again the warrior couldn't think of what to say, he simply picked up Razorkit by the scruff and placed him on his back.

"I'm sorry…" He heard the golden tom mumble. They headed towards the entrance log, ducking through while making sure Razorkit wasn't crushed against the top. When they were outside the camp walls, Lionfrost stopped.

Wolfstreak was heading towards them, with the queens Honeyfur and Whitefoot either side of Vaporsoul. Shimmerpool followed behind them, with Cheetahstar at the rear. Wolfstreak's long fur was drenched; he must've fallen in the river somewhere near OceanClan territory, making him look smaller than his usual size. Streaks of red contrasted his gray pelt. His usually bright emerald eyes were dim.

None of the queens were hurt, although Vaporsoul stumbled, like she had lost the will to walk. Honeyfur kept her propped up, and Whitefoot muttered encouragement into her ear as they got closer to camp.

Cheetahstar and Shimmerpool were not unscathed, but both had minor injuries like Nightraven and Darkheart. The ginger Medicine cat carried a bundle of herbs in her jaws, while it looked like Cheetahstar had just finished chewing hers. When the golden leader saw Razorkit perched on Lionfrost's back, she narrowed her eyes and muttered something to Vaporsoul.

The silver queen looked straight at him. Lionfrost sat down and slipped Razorkit off, before nudging him towards his mother.

Vaporsoul pulled away from the other queens and headed towards him. Razorkit bounded towards his mother, feeling smaller now than he ever had done. "Where's Wildstripe?"

The queen let out a whimper, before resting her muzzle on the kit's shoulder. A saddening aura was emanating from her in huge waves. Like before, the silver kit found it hard to breathe in the sea of emotion.

In his head, Razorkit was petrified of where this was going.

"Where is he?" He demanded, pulling away from his mother's fur, his heart willing to prove his head wrong. He rested his gaze on Cheetahstar, who held it evenly for a heartbeat. After a moment, she simply looked to the ground and flicked her tail to Wolfstreak.

He hadn't seen before. He hadn't seen it because the queens had been in the way. He hadn't seen the battered and drenched body, carried on Wolfstreak's back. He hadn't seen the scars and the blood, the glazed emerald eyes or the missing patches of snow-white fur. He hadn't seen the small cat, looking smaller than Razorkit had ever imagined, carried by his woeful brother. He hadn't felt the cold sense of an empty body, devoid of spirit. He couldn't have. He should never have.

He didn't want to, but he couldn't turn away now.

"Oh, Razorkit" Shimmerpool rasped, again wrapping him in her bushy tail.

"I'm sorry" Vaporsoul pulled him close again, pressing him tight between the she-cats, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." She repeated the words until she choked on them.

Wolfstreak blinked, although his eyes didn't seem to be looking at anything. His body was static, he daren't move in fear of dropping his brother. His breath was shallow.

Cheetahstar padded to the middle of the grief-stricken group, "Come into camp" She urged, glancing at the cats one by one. Razorkit felt her gaze move to him last, but he didn't look at her. How could he? His father was gravely injured in front of him.

"Shimmerpool?" He croaked, without his gaze shifting in the slightest, "You can heal him, can't you...?"

The ginger she-cat blinked, pain suddenly filling her lime-green eyes. She turned her head away slightly, "I can't"

"But you have to!" He demanded, wriggling free of the she-cats, "He's going to die!"

Shimmerpool shut her eyes, as if the words he was speaking were hurting her, "I can't" She repeated quietly.

"But why!" Razorkit choked out the words like he was choking out a piece of bad freshkill, "You can heal him, you're the Medicine Cat!"

She didn't answer this time. She couldn't even look at him anymore.

"Why!" Razorkit didn't understand why they weren't helping him. He didn't understand why his father's body felt so different now, so empty. The Medicine Cat's job was to save cats lives. So why couldn't Shimmerpool?

"Razorkit" He only heard his name faintly, but the voice was all too familiar. He wrenched his gaze from Shimmerpool to Cheetahstar, and the golden leader looked at him evenly.

"Wildstripe is already dead"


	12. A New Resolve

**Chapter 12: A New Resolve**

Razorkit woke up cold. The warm Greenleaf sunrise was nothing compared to the stone-cold body he had huddled so close to overnight. His own body ached with chills. He could feel the brush of fur next to his own, short and flattened by the last traces of the cats who had shared tongues with him the previous night. The tom's stale scent was all the silver kit could bare to inhale. He pushed his muzzle deeper into his late father's fur.

It seemed only a heartbeat later that the camp began to buzz with sound. Warriors emerged from their dens, some still hindered by injuries from the previous night. He could faintly heart the muffled voice of Darkheart through the fur, sorting out the dawn patrols for any warriors fit to do so. The black deputy's voice was rough.

"Lionfrost, I need you to lead a hunting patrol" He commanded, "Take Skyhawk, Lizardfang, and Snowpelt."

Razorkit lifted his muzzle, for the first time in the morning opening his eyes. The world was blurry at first, but it only took a moment for the camp to form and the young tom's heart to sink again. Last night hadn't been a dream.

"Darkheart!" He watched Ghostpaw emerge from the den and hurry towards the deputy, "I'm sorry, but can the patrol bring back some cobwebs too? We're out, and Thunderclaw's injury is bad…"

Darkheart nodded, "You get that, Lionfrost?" He called to the leaving patrol. The golden warrior flicked his ears, and then disappeared though the entrance log.

Razorkit wished he hadn't caught the next part, "By the way..." Ghostpaw mewed, "When are they going to bury Wildstripe?"

Razorkit saw the black tom's eyes darken, "When the kits wake up" He muttered in response, shifting his paws slightly. Razorkit remembered Wildstripe and Darkheart the day before. They had obviously been friends a long time. Darkheart must be hurting to. He wondered if Nightraven shared the same kind of bond as his brother, but he couldn't spot the black tom.

Darkheart stood up, for the first time revealing a new scar, a short but visibly deep cut across his chest. The wound didn't seem to bother him at all though, as he headed to the cave behind the waterfall; Cheetahstar's den.

Razorkit shifted. His brother and sister slept on the other side of the body, along with Vaporsoul. They were all curled together, sleeping soundly even through the sunrise. Silentkit had been terribly shocked by the news of their father's death. Her shy and concealed personality had only made it show how much it had hurt her. Stingkit had been in an understandably bad mood since, and it was unlikely to change any time soon.

Razorkit pulled himself away, and was only the slightest happy when the sun finally bathed his fur. It didn't feel right standing and enjoying the sunlight, while his father lay dead beside him, but he couldn't help it. The sunlight was a blessing, something they took for granted. Just like having a father.

"Oh, you're awake."

Razorkit jumped as he noticed Chaoskit laying a few tail-lengths away from them. The black kit yawned, stretching his jaws wide and clawing the ground.

"D-Did you sleep out here?" Razorkit stuttered, somewhat surprised to see his best friend. He thought he'd be with Darkheart or Whitefoot, as the deputy had also been injured in the battle and the white queen was fussing over him.

"Yeah" Chaoskit admitted, "I was just making sure you were ok through the night."

"Where's-"

"Leopardkit slept in the Medicine den with Thunderclaw" Chaoskit answered before Razorkit even had time to ask, "His leg was deeply cut. It'll be a while before he hunts again."

"But who did all this!" Razorkit gasped, feeling he was missing a giant piece of the puzzle.

Chaoskit's chestnut-red eyes narrowed all the way to slits. "Rogues" He answered simply.

"R-Rogues?" Razorkit couldn't help but stutter again, "Do you think-"

"The rogues we met were part of the group? Most likely" Chaoskit cut him short again. It seemed the black kit was already a few steps ahead of him, as always. "The gathering patrol was attacked last night, on the way back from the gathering. Apparently they came from nowhere, attacked the patrol and left again."

"Why did they retreat?"

"I wouldn't say they retreated" Chaoskit corrected, flicking his tail, "They _left_. They had fewer injuries than our warriors."

Razorkit looked at Chaoskit like he was crazy, "How can rogues beat trained warriors?"

Chaoskit sighed, "We need to talk about this more, but not here. Are you ok to see Cheetahstar for a bit?"

The question caught the silver kit off guard, "Wait, what? Why?"

"We're being apprenticed today" The words hit Razorkit like a block of ice had crashed against him, as he suddenly remembered Wildstripe's promise the day before. "The attack last night doesn't change that" Chaoskit continued evenly, "I want to get out of camp and have a look at the place where the patrol was attacked."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Razorkit whispered hoarsely, still reeling from the fresh pain in his stomach.

"I doubt it" Chaoskit reasoned, "If the rogues will go so far as to attack kits, as if they want to damage the Clan, then they would've stayed to fight longer last night. But they didn't, they did reasonable damage and left. With the skill they must've had to do this to our warriors..." He stopped a moment, thinking how to phrase it, "I'm just surprised... That Wildstripe was the only one sent to StarClan."

Razorkit thought about it, shaking his head to try and clear the image of his father's body again, "I don't know..."

"I'll go by myself if you don't want you. I won't force you to come."

"No! I'll go with you!" He couldn't let Chaoskit to go alone, "But I don't think Cheetahstar will let us go" He mumbled, remembering the way the leader treated him now.

Chaoskit just snorted, "Oh come on. Like she's going to know. Why do you think I snuck out of camp with you all as kits?"

"To make sure we don't get hurt?"

"Tch, I'm not your mother" Chaoskit huffed, "To get a good idea of the territory. Why anyone thinks the camp's big enough for us to explore is beyond me."

He seemed to have it all planned out. Actually, Razorkit would have been surprised if he hadn't. "I suppose we have to see Cheetahstar about our ceremony then…"

"That's the plan."

The kits padded towards the FallRock, squeezing though the narrow gap between the stone and the waterfall, and into the cave behind. It wasn't the first time the two had been in; they had snuck in a few times before on their adventures.

Razorkit caught the scent of both Cheetahstar and Darkheart as they followed the short tunnel into the den. The reflection of the light on the waterfall created strange, moving patterns on the walls and the sound echoed throughout.

"Cheetahstar?" Chaoskit called into the den.

"Chaoskit, and Razorkit" Darkheart noted, turning to face them, "You know you shouldn't enter the den without permission" He told them sternly.

"Sorry" Chaoskit dipped his head to his father and the clan leader, and so Razorkit copied, feeling somewhat nervous.

"I'm sure they had good reason" Cheetahstar said, although in a tone Razorkit couldn't define.

"We were just wondering if our apprentice ceremony was still today" Razorkit found it best to let Chaoskit do the talking, so he kept his head bowed while his friend spoke, "Although, we do understand if it's an inappropriate time"

There was a moment's silence. Razorkit looked up, to see Darkheart looking from the kits to the leader. Cheetahstar's eyes were fixed on the kits.

"We need them" Darkheart admitted, "We don't know what we're up against."

Cheetahstar considered her deputy's words carefully. "I don't see any reason why we should postpone the ceremony…" She stated at last. Although to Razorkit, it sounded partly like she was dismissing Wildstripe's death.

"Thank you" Chaoskit dipped his head again, flicking Razorkit's flank with his tail, "Let's go."

The kits turned to leave, only to be stopped.

"Ah, actually, Razorkit. I'd like a word" The leader's words made him freeze in cold fear, why - he couldn't really understand. He gulped slowly, turning back to face her.

She flicked her tail for Darkheart and Chaoskit to leave, and the father and son duo left the den together, Darkheart congratulating Chaoskit on the ceremony, while Chaoskit replied by saying it was nothing special.

She waited in silence until the voices faded behind the rumble of the waterfall. "I take it you have not told anyone of your dream?" She enquired evenly.

For a second, Razorkit was confused as to what she meant. All the talk of battle and the grief of his father's death had mostly kept the falling star scenario out of his mind.

"It wasn't a dream" He insisted while doing his best not to hiss; all the nervousness he had felt melting away into burning anger, "But I haven't mentioned it."

"Make sure it stays that way" Her eyes narrowed at him, "Don't say a word to anyone."

"Why shouldn't I?" Razorkit pressed, "If it's just a dream, where's the harm in it?"

It felt like her gaze was burning into him, "Because I'm your leader and you obey my rules."

Razorkit studied the way she looked at him, the way she spoke. "Is there something else?"

She didn't answer.

"There's something what happened that you're afraid of!"

"No."

"Then wha-"

"It's not the dream I'm afraid of" Cheetahstar muttered, eyes darkening.

"You died that night, Razorkit. _You died and came back to life._"

Razorkit glanced one last time over his shoulder at where Wildstripe's body had been laid out over the night. Now an empty space, the only places Razorkit would ever see his father again was in his own thoughts and when his time finally came when he too would join StarClan.

Hearing the gathered cats behind him settle, he looked up the FallRock to see Cheetahstar gazing down at the five kits, all sat around the pool below the rock. The other clan cats gathered behind them, watching intently but with the air of loss still lingering around them.

"Cats of JungleClan!" She began the sacred ritual; "We are gathered here in spite of recent events to celebrate JungleClan's newest apprentices" She looked around the gathered cats before hopping down from the FallRock and joining the kits at the edge of the pool.

"Leopardkit" She started with the she-kit at the end of the line, "From this day forward until your warrior name is earned, you shall be known as Leopardpaw. May StarClan see your liveliness and sprit from the skies above" She placed her head above the smaller she-kit's, and Leopardkit licked the leader's shoulder as a sign of respect.

"Your mentor shall be Whitefoot" She announced clearly, "All of the queens have made the decision that it is their time to return to their duties."

Whitefoot padded up to Leopardpaw, and both she-cats purred as the white warrior licked the top of the golden paw's head.

"Silentkit" Cheetahstar padded over to the white she-kit, "From this day forward until your warrior name is earned, you shall be known as Silentpaw. May StarClan see your kindness and caring from the skies above" Silentpaw licked the leader's shoulder. Cheetahstar stepped back.

"Your mentor shall be Sparrowflight."

Sparrowflight excitedly hurried over to Silentpaw and the two she-cats brushed muzzles before watching the rest of the ceremony.

"Stingkit, from this day forward until your warrior name is earned, you shall be known as Stingpaw. May StarClan see your bravery and loyalty from the skies above" Stingpaw licked the leaders shoulder as the others had done. Razorkit hadn't spoken to his brother since Wildstripe's death. He really had no idea what to say to him.

"Your mentor shall be Lionfrost."

The big golden tom padded up to Stingpaw and bowed his head. Stingpaw nodded determinedly back, icy eyes gleaming with resolve.

"Chaoskit. From this day forward until your warrior name is earned, you shall be known as Chaospaw. May StarClan see your intelligence and skill from the skies above" Chaospaw licked the leaders shoulder.

"It was planned that your mentor shall be Thunderclaw, but until he can return to his duties you will be mentored by Yellowgaze."

The ginger warrior was surprised, but padded forward confidently and touched noses with the black tom.

Finally it was Razorkit's turn. Cheetahstar stood before him, with that same unreadable expression she seemed to wear every time she looked at him. He tried to imagine what she was thinking, and he half expected her to make herself his mentor. He couldn't think of any warriors besides her and Darkheart who didn't already have an apprentice.

"Razorkit" She started solemnly, "From this day forward, until your warrior name is earned, you will be known as Razorpaw. May StarClan see your imagination and fairness from the skies above" He hesitated before licking her shoulder. He wasn't sure if she noticed, but she turned away before announcing his mentor.

"Your mentor shall be Nightraven."

He hadn't noticed the tom sat at the back of the crowd. He hadn't remembered the other black warrior, often lost in his brother's shadow. He knew Nightraven was a formidable fighter, but he just wasn't as noticeable as his higher-ranked brother.

Razorpaw watched the black tom approach. He wondered if Wildstripe approved of Cheetahstar's choice. His father had been good friends with Darkheart, but he had never mentioned Nightraven.

"I'm glad I finally got an apprentice" Nightraven admitted, resting his head on top of Razorpaw's, "Now I can finally follow in my brother's pawsteps"

"Silentpaw! Leopardpaw! Stingpaw! Chaospaw! Razorpaw!"

The names were chanted by the JungleClan cats. As the newly appointed mentors moved away, the five denmates huddled together aside the pool.

"We're apprentices!" Leopardpaw gasped eyes wide and almost unbelieving.

Razorpaw didn't expect the wave of excitement that was running though him now. He had been so desperate and confused only yesterday, so lost for motivation and stricken with grief. Even this morning, waking up beside his dead father, he would never have imagined that he'd be feeling like this now.

He looked to Chaospaw, who looked straight back at him. Both toms nodded to each other determinedly.

At sunset, they were to investigate the site of last night's battle.


	13. Shocking Discovery

**Chapter 13: Shocking Discovery**

Wisps of smokey gray cloud shielded the light of the moon, rendering the forest in complete darkness. The echoing sound of the running river and the faint rustle of leaves drifted through the warm air. An owl hooted from somewhere above.

"We'll have to cross the river the stepping stones" Chaospaw instructed, his black pelt almost invisible in the darkness. Razorpaw had to follow him by sound, doing the best he could despite having no training.

They'd snuck out of camp the same way they had done the last time; through the hole in the barrier behind the nursery. Razorpaw was honestly surprised that no other cat had noticed yet, but in this case, they didn't want that to happen. He had considered inviting Stingpaw with them, but he still hadn't said a word to either his brother or sister since the night before.

"We've never crossed the river before" Razorpaw spoke out loud, "And it's pitch black too."

"I know" Chaospaw sounded like he was thinking, "But there isn't another way. We only got a quick run-through of the territory when Nightraven and Yellowgaze took us out this morning" He added, and Razorpaw remembered his first approved venture outside of camp walls, with Chaospaw and Leopardpaw, and the mentors. Stingpaw and Silentpaw had gone a separate way.

When they finally stopped at the riverbank, Chaospaw leant down at the very edge, trying to judge how deep it was.

His eyes glinted, "It's shallow" He muttered, "But not enough for us to wade through."

"So we use the stones?"

"Unless you want to swim."

Ignoring his friend's sarcasm, Razorpaw stood square across from the first stone. Whether it was slippery or not, he wouldn't know until he landed.

"Think of it as hunting" Chaospaw tried to reason, "Land right on top of the mouse, don't overshoot it"

"Helpful" Razorpaw mumbled, finding it hard to imagine the stone as a mouse when he could hardly see the stone at all. He kept his eyes locked onto the flat rock, jutting out of the reasonably slow moving river, keeping his breathing quiet. He'd never caught a mouse before. He'd never caught any prey before. But catching a rock should surely be easier?

He bunched his muscles, and without waiting for his brain to process properly, leapt for the first stone. He felt both of his front paws his the stone, but only one of his hind paws. He stumbled backwards slightly, scraping at the smooth rock with his claws, trying to get a grip on the stone. The shadowy water pulled at the fur on his leg. Gritting his teeth, he reached out and hooked his claws around the edge of the stone, pulling himself further onto the rock. When his leg was finally out of the water, he collapsed onto the stone, panting.

"Alright, just one more to go!" He heard Chaospaw on the bank behind him. The black tom was purring loudly, "Let's try for all four paws this time!"

"Shut up!" Razorpaw grumbled, "You won't find it amusing when you fall in."

He didn't hear what Chaospaw said next. He jumped without hesitating this time, landing solidly on the rock. From here it was just a short hop to the opposite bank. He made the final leap, letting out a sigh of relief when his paws hit the grass on the opposite side. He looked back at Chaospaw.

The other tom was already perched on the first stone, and judging the distance to the second. Razorpaw watched with a slight twinge of annoyance as he made it from the first stone to the second, and the second to the bank, without a problem.

"Well" Chaospaw padded beside Razorpaw, "Now at least we know we can cross there."

The two toms made their way silently through the rest of the forest, heading gradually upland towards the Flower Field. From there, they followed the river left until they came to where JungleClan's border met the divide with OceanClan and DesertClan.

"Darkheart said they were attacked as they followed the river back to camp" Chaospaw recited, padding along the edge of the river. The clouds had shifted from the moon, lighting up the flowing water with a silvery glow.

"So it must have been across here" Razorpaw deduced, sniffing the occasional plant as they went past, trying to find an odd scent on the leaves.

"He couldn't give me many details, mostly due to the fact he was fighting and didn't really have time to think about it" Chaospaw explained, "But from what I gather, they fought on the riverbank, or somewhere close to it. Both Wolfstreak and Wildstripe had gone into the river at some point, that's why they were soaking"

"But Cheetahstar always warned the warriors not to fight near the river" Razorpaw remembered the leader's advice about fighting in the forest where the other clans weren't used to the dense undergrowth.

"Hm, right..." Chaospaw began to think. After a moment, Razorpaw noticed the look in his eye that usually meant he had some kind of theory, "Can you check all the bushes as we go along? But not the ones closest to the bank, go a bit deeper into the forest and check there. Come back to the river if you find a scent"

Not really sure where his friend was going with his idea, he nodded anyway and set off into the undergrowth. The thick canopy above blocked out most of the moonlight, so Razorpaw found it difficult to walk and his paws kept getting tangled in the brambles and the twigs. Growling with annoyance, he pulled his tail free from a trailing bramble, flinching as a torn became stuck in. He looked at the triangular thorn, silently hating it, but chose to ignore it for now. He proceeded to check the tree beside him, sniffing around the trunk and on the nearby leaves.

Chaospaw was pacing up and down the bank, muttering to himself as he padded back and forth. He had found several scents near the riverbank, but nowhere near the number of scents there would be if a battle happened here. He'd checked further up the river too, but this patch was the only one that had the trace of cat scent.

"I think I found the place where they fought" Razorpaw emerged from the shrubs, tail twitching irritably. Chaospaw blinked across the river, to where the marshy ground of OceanClan territory lay.

"There are a few scents here" The black tom nodded towards the ground. Razorkit leant down and sniffed cautiously at the grass at the edge of the bank.

_That's Wildstripe's scent!_ His eyes widened at the last remaining traces of his father's scent on the bank. He turned to Chaospaw, and then looked back down the river in the direction of camp. "But why...?"

"I'm going to be completely honest with you" Chaospaw started, more serious now than he was usually. Razorpaw blinked. "After you'd gone to sleep last night, I went to ask Shimmerpool about Wildstripe's death."

Razorpaw felt a cold breeze blow through. Regardless, he continued to listen.

Chaospaw's eyes glittered in the moon, "She said she didn't see how he died. Apparently he was fighting with the rest of the group, and then he wasn't. Wolfstreak was the first to notice he was missing, and followed his scent here. She said when she saw them next, Wildstripe was dead, and both of them were soaking wet"

"Y-you mean... Wildstripe fell in the river and drowned?" Razorkit felt his throat dry up.

Chaospaw didn't look at him, but the black tom's eyes seemed to narrow slightly, "I thought that too. But then Shimmerpool said something else..."

He paused, but for Razorpaw it seemed like moons were passing while his friend was silent.

Chaospaw shut his eyes, "She said the wounds weren't bleeding as much as they should've been. If Wildstripe had drowned, the blood would've come out faster in the river, and he would've still been bleeding when Wolfstreak pulled him out.

"I don't get it!" Razorpaw shook his head furiously, "What are you trying to say!"

"What I'm saying" Chaospaw lowered his voice, "Is that Shimmerpool thinks that Wildstripe was dead before he fell in the river"

Razorpaw blinked. He didn't understand how they had got to that conclusion, but if the Medicine Cat had said it, then it was most likely true. "But then how..." The silver tom didn't know what to say.

"This is my theory" Chaospaw sighed, knowing what he was about to say may hurt his best friend, "The gathering patrol was attacked where you found the scents. During the battle, Wildstripe was killed. One of the rogues dragged his body up here, pushed him in the river and then the rogues left. Wolfstreak came and saw Wildstripe, dragged him out, but Wildstripe was dead. To most cats it'd look like he drowned. But Shimmerpool, the Medicine cat, noticed something was off."

"But why!" Razorpaw demanded, thoughts racing with these new speculations, "Why would they do that?"

There was an agonizing silence. Chaospaw let out a defeated sigh.

"I don't know" He admitted. "I don't know"

Razorpaw felt his heart thumping in his chest. His body began to ache with that cold chill again, and he couldn't stop himself from shivering. He was confused and wanted answers, but the cat he'd depended most on for them knew only what he knew.

"We need to come back here in the morning" Chaospaw placed his tail on Razorpaw's shoulder, "If I'm right, there should be a blood trail from the site of the battle to at least the edge of the bushes, but it'll be impossible to see it in this light" Razorpaw blinked at him, almost not hearing his voice. When it had registered in his head, he nodded desolately.

"Okay" He croaked, swallowing hard.

"Come on" Chaospaw lead the way back into the forest, "Before somebody realizes we're missing"


	14. The First Fight

**Chapter 14: The First Fight**

Razorpaw shuffled around in his nest. _It's so stuffy in here_... He complained to himself silently, blinking open his bright blue eyes as the first rays of dawn sunlight shone through the small gaps in the den roof. Even after the extension to the apprentices' den had been completed, it was still a tight fit for all eight apprentices to sleep comfortably. The older apprentices, Rainpaw and Moonpaw, would be made warriors next moon, but Flamepaw and Cinderpaw would be sharing the den for a while longer.

"They should sleep in the nursery…" Flamepaw had complained until he fell asleep. Cinderpaw had been happy to get some new denmates, to the obvious dismay of her brother.

Sitting up, Razorpaw noticed that Stingpaw and Silentpaw weren't in their nests. He was still at a loss for something to say to them. Because of all the things he and Chaospaw had discovered, he hadn't really had time to grieve for his father, but his littermates were still showing obvious signs of hurt.

He gave his pelt a quick wash, careful of the gash in his tail that the thorn had left. He was inspecting the wound when Cinderpaw poked her head through the entrance.

"Razorpaw! Can you wake Flamepaw and Moonpaw? We're going battle training" She mewed hurriedly, and before he could give an answer she was gone. The silver tom blinked. It was only his second day as an apprentice. Warriors usually started with hunting instead of battle training when with their apprentices. Maybe the prey-rich greenleaf had made Cheetahstar more relaxed on the idea, Razorpaw reasoned.

When he emerged from the den with Moonpaw and an irritated Flamepaw, he noticed Nightraven, Skyhawk, Snowpelt and Wolfstreak waiting for them near the entrance log with Cinderpaw. He made his way over to his and the other mentors, blocking out Flamepaw's drowsy mutterings. He glanced back at the den, suddenly wondering if Chaospaw was still asleep or on patrol. He stopped for a moment, trying to peer through the entrance.

"Razorpaw" Nightraven mewed, blinking sympathetically at the silver tom, "If you don't feel up to this, you can stay in camp with Vaporsoul and have some rest."  
>"N-No" The last thing he wanted now was to be a burden to everyone else, "I'm fine" He reassured his mentor with a small nod of his head.<br>"If you say so" Nightraven flicked his ears, and Wolfstreak lead the group out from the entrance tunnel and down towards the river - towards the same set of stepping stones he had crossed last night.

Snowpelt gave a quick lesson on how to cross safely before heading across. Skyhawk went next, followed by Moonpaw and Cinderpaw. Razorpaw hopped onto the first stone, finding the whole process a lot easier now he could actually see. When he was at the other bank, he waited for the other three to cross. He fell into the back of the group, padding across the grass beside Wolfstreak.

"Are you sure you're ok?" The huge tom's question caught him off guard. He stuttered slightly, a prick of pain spiking his chest whenever anyone asked him about Wildstripe.  
>"Y-Yeah" He shook his head, trying to pull himself together inside, "What about you?" He asked, for the first time wondering how the big grey warrior was coping with his brother's death. He watched the big tom's gaze darken for a heartbeat, but then regain the usual emerald green.<br>"It hurts" Wolfstreak admitted, "We were together for as long as I can remember. We had fun, but I know he'd be mad at me for mourning over him" He glanced to the treetops, "I remember our first gathering together" He reminisced with a purr, "He looked like a kit, and I looked like a warrior. No cat believed us when we said we were littermates."

Razorpaw sighed happily, glad that Wolfstreak wasn't too deeply upset over Wildstripe's death. But then, he was a warrior. He'd probably seen many cats die before.

_Is it just an endless cycle?_ Razorpaw found himself coming back to his thoughts on clan life as a whole, _We live to fight and die. We die to become one with the stars. But isn't there anything else?_

They reached the training hollow soon after. It wasn't the first time Razorpaw had seen it - of course, he'd seen it on one of his previous off-limits adventures as a kit. A roughly round shaped clearing with a soft grass floor, and one spot in the forest where the sky was visible through the dense canopy. Another hollow log and a group of sandy rocks acompanied the otherwise empty clearing.

Wolfstreak flicked his tail against Razorpaw's shoulder, "Talk to your littermates" The warrior whispered into his ear, causing Razorpaw to flinch slightly, "I know it's hard. But they need you."  
>He didn't say anything else. Razorpaw had no idea what to say either, so he settled for nodding as defiantly as he could. Wolfstreak seemed satisfied, and padded to join his waiting apprentice, Moonpaw.<p>

"We'll start with the basics" Nightraven instructed, sitting before the silver apprentice. Skyhawk sat next to the black tom, beckoning Flamepaw with his tail.  
>"You can help Razorpaw begin his training" Skyhawk mewed, to a somewhat horrified looking Flamepaw.<br>"Me? Why can't Moonpaw do it!" Flamepaw complained, gazing with pleading eyes at his mentor.  
>"Because Moonpaw is Wolfstreak's apprentice. Wolfstreak decides what she does. Just like I decide what you do" Skyhawk retorted evenly, eyes narrowing slightly.<br>"Hmph. Don't blame me if I hurt him" The ginger apprentice mumbled, crouching down beside Razorpaw.  
>"I want to see where I have to start" Nightraven told him, "So I want you to attack Flamepaw. Show me what you already know."<p>

Razorpaw looked from Nightraven to Flamepaw. He didn't particularly like Flamepaw, but he wasn't really up for fighting him right now.

"What are you waiting for?" The impatient ginger apprentice huffed, "I can see the hairs on my muzzle going white!"  
>Razorpaw turned to his denmate with an exasperated sigh. He crouched down as Flamepaw was doing, although now, he wasn't sure what to do.<p>

He hadn't really fought before. He fought with Stingpaw when they were small kits, but nothing else. Apparently kits play-fought until they were apprenticed most of the time. That never really seemed to happen with him and his friends. When Silentpaw began to show a sort of fear about fighting, they had stopped with the play fights altogether. Chaospaw had never really seen the point in fighting, and although Leopardpaw was excitable, she'd never wanted to fight anyone.

Stingpaw enjoyed fighting. He didn't fight when Silentpaw was around, but he had often said he enjoyed feeling the thrill.

Razorpaw didn't know what to make of that. But he didn't really have the time to be dwelling on his brother's lifestyle.

He pressed forward, towards Flamepaw, and leapt for the ginger tom with all the power in his hind legs. He reached out with his front paws, but despite his effort he ended up swiping at thin air.

The opposing tom had ducked under his leaping attack, swiftly shifting his weight onto his front paws while catching Razorpaw with his hind paws. Razorpaw felt the impact on his stomach, and while it wasn't as hard as he expected, it still hurt considerably. He flailed around in the air for a moment, before crashing onto the thankfully soft green grass.

"See?" Flamepaw meowed, "I'm too good for this!"  
>Skyhawk ignored Flamepaw's ranting, his ears flicking irritably. Razorpaw pulled himself up, ruling out aerial attacks for the moment. He suspected that a frontal attack wouldn't do much better, but unless he could become the fastest cat in the forest in the next few moments, he didn't think he could get in a sneak attack from behind either.<p>

Flamepaw was still talking even after Razorpaw had spent some time trying (And failing) to come up with a strategy. Although by now Skyhawk was evidently annoyed with his talkative apprentice, and the pair argued with each other, while Nightraven sat beside the other warrior. The black tom was seemingly paying no attention the arguing pair. He sat still, tail wrapped around his paws and eyes shut.

Razorpaw observed his mentor for another heartbeat, before turning his attention back to Flamepaw. The ginger tom was no longer facing him.

The chance was clear. He wasn't sure whether it would be the noble thing to take it, but he didn't really care anymore. Situations like these required thinking outside the box.

He snuck forward, being careful to be quiet, until he was within springing distance. He shifted to the side a bit - a sideways strike would probably be more effective here. Skyhawk had seen him approaching, and even though he had stopped arguing with his apprentice, he didn't say anything to warn him. Razorpaw knew he didn't have long before Flamepaw's attention was drawn back to the fight, now that his mentor was refusing to argue.

So he leapt, slamming into the unsuspecting apprentice's side and barrelling him over. Flamepaw screeched in surprise, paws flailing as he tried to get a grip on Razorpaw's fur. The silver apprentice locked his jaws into his denmate's scruff - being careful not to hurt him, of course - and batted his hind paws against the ginger tom's hide.  
>Flamepaw tumbled over, still in shock from the surprise attack, and tried to roll over. Razorpaw lost his grip on the other apprentice and jumped away, before he could retaliate.<p>

"That was sneaky!" Flamepaw hissed in anger, glaring at Razorpaw, "I was talking!"

"_You_ said you were too good" Razorpaw mewed evenly, "You're obviously not up to your own standards."  
>The ginger tom snarled, eyes blazing, and slid out his claws.<br>"Flamepaw!" Skyhawk thought it was time to intervene, "Enough!"  
>"But-"<br>"I said _enough._"

The other apprentice fell silent, glaring at nothing as he gazed at the grass. Skyhawk sighed at his pawful of an apprentice, before giving him a lecture about the way he treated his clanmates.

"That was good" Nightraven's sudden voice made him jump, the tom was sat next to him now, and Razorpaw hadn't even seen him move.  
>"I-It was?" Razorpaw didn't believe that his performance was anything special.<br>"You have the ability to think about the situation even during a battle. And although I can't guarantee you'll always have the time to do that, it's a valuable skill"  
>Razorpaw felt warmed by his mentor's praise. He could feel his pelt warming up as if the words shone like the sun.<p>

"You attacked him while he argued with Skyhawk" Nightraven noted, and Razorpaw began to wonder if he'd done the right thing. He tried to think of an excuse, but it turned out that he didn't need one.

"I know quite a few cats that would've left that opportunity. But honour means nothing if you end up losing. Never let the trivial things like pride and honour keep you from being victorious. You may be called lesser of by other cats, but life means more than that."  
>Razorpaw listened intently as his mentor spoke. He found he had a new, deeper respect for the deputy's brother, his mentor, the scarred black tom sat before him. Nightraven was truly a great warrior, regarded so or not.<p>

"Life without pride, pride without life. A life without pride is one not worth living, but pride without life isn't exactly going to get you far" Nightraven continued, casting his glance towards the sky, "Life is the foundation. Pride is built upon it, but never solidly. A proud warrior will not win if his pride outweighs his life" The tom blinked, eyes growing distant, "My brother said that to me, a long time ago. I have always lived by his words..."

_Darkheart said that...? _Razorpaw thought, _No, Chaospaw said they had another brother... What was his name...?_

Before he could peruse the thought further, he remembered something he probably shouldn't have forgotten.

_Mouse-dung! I need to find Chaospaw and search up near the river!_


	15. Blood, Rain, and the Impossible Quest

**Chapter 15: Blood, Rain, and the Impossible Quest**

Dark clouds began to gather in the greenleaf sky. An ominous wind blew across the coast, moist with the coming rain but still warm in the humid climate. The land grew darker every moment as the bright blue sky was slowly disappearing behind the layers of thick, grey cloud.

Razorpaw could feel the moisture in the air. It made his whiskers twitch, and the longer he found himself sat still, waiting, the more irritated he was becoming.

Moonpaw and Cinderpaw were demonstrating a new battle technique, while Wolfstreak and Snowpelt mewed encouragement to their apprentices. Skyhawk and Flamepaw had gone off somewhere after the feisty ginger tom had been defeated in his battle. Razorpaw had taken his place next to Nightraven, and the pair were observing the two she-cat's as they tussled on the ground.

_If the rain comes before I can meet up with Chaospaw, we'll never find that blood trail! _Razorpaw moaned inside his own head, gritting his teeth hard. His claws scraped the ground, sinking into the lush green grass of the training hollow. He had to make it in time. He could never forgive himself if he missed this vital clue. Chaospaw had told him there was something strange about his father's death, and he could never doubt his best friend. Part of him wished he was still a kit; although Clan rules stated he mustn't leave camp, he could've snuck out if he really wanted to. Now he was an apprentice, he didn't have such freedom.

"It's going to rain..." Nightraven noted, making Razorpaw's chest tighten.

Wolfstreak looked up from the battling apprentices, "It'll be the first time it's rained this greenleaf" He meowed brightly, "It should get the herbs growing"

"We'll need them" Snowpelt added darkly, and even though she didn't finish, all the cats knew what she was talking about.

Razorpaw felt his tail-tip twitching. He was only half listening to what the warriors were saying, rather pleading to himself in his head. _Please don't rain yet! Please don't rain yet! Pl-_

"You don't have to stay for the rest of the lesson, Razorpaw."

_-ease don't ra... Wait, what?_

Razorpaw whipped around to his mentor, who was sat staring at him. The silver apprentice wasn't sure if the black warrior was being serious or not, so he just stared back, blinking.

"I'm serious" Nightraven purred, "You've done well today" He glanced over at the two she-cats who were still rolling around on the ground, and added in a lower voice, "I know something's bothering you. If you don't want to stay, that's fine."

Razorpaw's jaw hung open in disbelief, "S-So...I can go...?"

"Sure." Came the short reply.

The silver tom was still for a moment, contemplating what to do. He should've been pelting back to camp right now, but it was still taking time for his mentor's words to register.

_Right, I need to get back to camp as fast as I can and find Chaospaw, then make our way up to the river..._

Something hit Razorpaw's muzzle. Something cold and wet, snapping him suddenly out of his thoughts. It was what he'd been dreading all along, the thing he'd been hoping to avoid most of all.

_Fox-dung! It's raining!_

His pelt was damp by the time the camp entrance was in sight. Thankfully it wasn't raining too hard, but Razorpaw found his heart was still thumping in panic. He had run back as fast as he could, and it seemed to take him no time at all to make it from the training hollow to the camp. Despite all that, he still had that sinking feeling. He still thought deep inside that it was too late.

He ducked carefully through the entrance log, stepping out the other side to see cats gathered in the middle of camp with Cheetahstar addressing them from the FallRock.

"Why is this happening? Have StarClan left us!" Was the first thing he heard. His breath caught in his throat; had something happened while he was away?

"StarClan would never abandon a Clan!" He heard Whitefoot call out from the crowd.

Razorpaw coughed out his breath, scathing his throat, and tried to spot Chaospaw in the group of gathered cats. He eventually found the black tom sat near Thunderclaw and Shimmerpool just outside of the Medicine cat's den, listening carefully to what the other cats were talking about.

He quickly made his way over to his friend, eager to know what happened.

"Chaospaw!" He skidded to a stop beside where his best friend sat, "What's going on?"

For a moment Chaospaw seemed surprised to see Razorpaw, but after a heartbeat his eyes went dark, "There was a dog on our territory."

"...A dog?"

"That's what I said."

Razorpaw blinked the water from his eyes, "But I thought dogs hardly ever came onto the coast?"

"They don't" Chaospaw agreed, "Apparently there hasn't been a dog on JungleClan territory since Amberleaf and Tawnypelt were apprentices."

"Where did it come from?" Razorpaw asked, almost absent-mindedly.

"How should I know?" Chaospaw grumbled, "It's not like I had a conversation with it. Mouse-brained mutt attacked our patrol."

Razorpaw gasped in sudden surprise, "What! Was anyone hurt?"

Chaospaw sighed ruefully, "No, but Silentpaw's in shock. Stingpaw's okay, personally I think the shock has helped him get over Wildstripe" The black tom shook his head slightly, "Lionfrost and Sparrowflight drove it off. Stingpaw helped too."

"Really?" All of a sudden Razorpaw wanted to find his littermates to check up on them, make sure they were alright and give them comfort, but there was a more urgent matter and that could be done later. "Chaospaw! We need to go up to the river and-"

"We won't make it in time" The other tom stated bluntly, glancing at his own rain-soaked fur, "I doubt the trail's still there. Even if it is, it won't be by the time we get there."

Razorpaw could've sworn he felt his heart stop. What they had uncovered so far could've all been verified if only that trail of blood had been found. The mystery surrounding his father's strange death could've been cleared up that tiny bit more - which to Razorpaw, meant more than anything. And now to be told that the last piece was missing, he felt as if he was being crushed.

He gazed at Chaospaw hoping that the smarter tom would have an answer.

"There's nothing we can do" Chaospaw muttered with obvious regret, "For now, just listen to what Cheetahstar has to say. We need to talk later."

With that, Chaospaw turned away from Razorpaw and continued to listen to the gathered cats. Razorpaw watched him for a heartbeat more, before sitting beside him, his head aching with a dull sense of numbness, but still he tried his best to listen.

"The dog will be dealt with" Cheetahstar mewed, "That's all we have to worry about" She dismissed the crowd's mutterings with a flick of her tail, "Darkheart, Lionfrost, Honeyfur and Lizardfang. I want you to check other parts of the territory for a scent of the dog" The four warriors nodded and she continued, "No apprentice is to leave the camp without being accompanied by a warrior" She glanced around at the apprentices in camp, and when she was satisfied, she ended the meeting by telling everyone to keep their spirits up. The crowd below the FallRock dispersed, breaking away into groups of mumbling cats.

"We can't leave camp..." Razorpaw repeated his leader's words, dismay laced in his voice, "But..."

"What do you think?" Chaospaw asked suddenly, making Razorpaw jump, "Some are saying StarClan has left us. What do you think?" Chaospaw repeated, eyes narrowed. Razorpaw didn't know what to say; Chaospaw was almost always serious, but now it was slightly scary.

"S-StarClan would never leave us" Razorpaw muttered eventually, "At least...I don't think they would."

Chaospaw let out a small sigh, "Remember what you said, when we saw the rogues on that riverbank? Something about living and dying the same, to join the stars... But lately I've been wondering. How much control does StarClan really have?"

Razorpaw didn't understand, which he found himself doing quite a lot around Chaospaw. "What do you mean?"

"Think about it this way" Chaospaw started, "StarClan send us omens and warnings when we're in trouble, right? But they can't stop events and they can't change them. So what is it that causes those events to happen? Is there something higher than StarClan?"

Razorpaw still had an obvious look of confusion on his face, so Chaospaw tried to rephrase it.

"Think about those rogues. They won't believe in StarClan, because they haven't seen them or heard about them. But we know StarClan exist, because we know cats who have talked with StarClan, and cats that have gone to StarClan. But what's to say there isn't something else out there? Just because we haven't seen it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

The silver tom shook his head roughly, trying to take in all this information, "What's with you, Chaospaw? I know you're smart and all, but isn't searching beyond the stars a bit out of our paws?"

The black tom didn't answer. His gaze rested on Razorpaw for a moment, and then he leaned in closer, eyes now narrowed all the way to slits.

"I think there's something else. But I need to be sure" Chaospaw hissed quietly. He glanced behind to Shimmperpool and Thunderclaw, who were talking to each other, paying no attention to the two apprentices.

"There's no way to contact StarClan from the coast. _I want go to the MoonFalls and ask them myself._"


	16. Shattered Silence

**Chapter 16: Shattered Silence**

Razorpaw padded silently across the damp ground, his paw steps muffled by the wet grass. The drizzling rain from the past few days had given the forest a revitalizing drench, and Razorpaw couldn't help but feel the place was colder, even in Greenleaf. Greenleaf couldn't last forever though - Leaf-fall was approaching. And fast.

"Are we far enough?" Chaospaw, who had been padding along in front of him asked, looking back over his shoulder. Razorpaw always found it hard to see Chaospaw at night; it was like his all black pelt blended in with the shadows. Only his bright red eyes were visible.

"Y-Yeah" The silver tom mumbled, taking a shaking breath. He'd been thinking about what Chaospaw said about a quarter-moon ago, about making a journey to the MoonFalls to try to talk to StarClan. He still thought it was impossible - they didn't know the way, and they'd have to cross MountainClan territory even if they did. The journey would be perilous without a sense of direction; there was every chance that they'd get lost in the mountains, or caught by MountainClan cats and accused of trespassing. And that was something he really didn't want. They'd have to go without travelling herbs too; it wasn't like they could ask Shimmerpool for some before they left.

This time, however, it was Razorpaw who needed to confess something to his friend. Something he'd been sworn to secrecy about, but something he could no longer keep to himself. If he could go to the MoonFalls with Chaospaw, maybe he could ask StarClan about the falling star, and maybe even his father's death.

"So what is it?" Chaospaw tilted his head slightly.

"Well..." Thinking about it now, Razorpaw didn't really know where to start. He shut his eyes for a heartbeat, recalling the hectic events of the past quarter-moon.

"Do you remember the day before we were apprenticed?" Razorpaw started, and Chaospaw nodded in return, "Well..."

There was a short silence. Razorpaw didn't really know how to fully explain it, so he decided to let it go and put it bluntly.

"The night before that day, I was hit by a star."

He expected his friend to make a sarcastic comment, but Chaospaw stayed quiet. The black tom's eyes narrowed slightly, but apart from that he didn't move - or at least Razorpaw didn't think he did, it was still hard to see the black tom at night. He felt tense inside, which was strange, he usually found it easier to talk to Chaospaw than anyone else. He glanced at the ground, feeling confused and somewhat annoyed.

"I know it sounds really mouse-brained, but I swear-"

"Don't worry; I believe you" Chaospaw cut him off, simply blinking. His eyes weren't slits anymore, they had returned to their usual circular shape.

Razorpaw gawped, shocked, "What, really? Cheetahstar and Shimmerpool didn't believe me; they said I couldn't tell anyone."

"I can see their point" Chaospaw stated, looking away slightly, "It's not something you hear every day."

"Then why do you believe me?" Razorpaw accused the black tom. He didn't know if Chaospaw was just saying it to make him happy, or if he really believed him, or if he thought this was all stupid, "I sound like I have bees in my head, right? Saying I was hit by a star? That's what Cheetahstar thought, so why-"

"As far as I'm concerned, you have no reason to lie" Chaospaw cut him off again, something which he did a lot, "And it only backs up what I said a while ago. StarClan isn't the only thing out there."

Razorpaw sighed, shaking his head, "I don't know about that..." He confessed, "But I met a strange cat. I was on a beach, and I couldn't hear what he was saying..."

"A StarClan cat?" Chaospaw queried.

"No. He was bigger than that."

"Bigger than Wolfstreak?"

"Yeah."

Chaospaw's whiskers twitched, "Bigger than Wolfstreak? Again, something you don't hear every day" He looked back to Razorpaw, "What else happened?"

Razorpaw thought hard, "I remember he came towards me and touched my nose, and then everything went black...There was a voice..."

"A voice? What did it say?"

The silver tom shut his eyes, trying to recite the words spoken to him on that fateful night.

"From highest sky to lowest ground,  
>From faintest noise to loudest sound,<br>Through day and night,  
>Through cold and warmth,<br>Search until the one is found."

"Search upon the mountains high,  
>Search upon the oceans wide,<br>Search upon the desert dry,  
>For every moon, one more will die."<p>

Chaospaw listened intently throughout, but his breath caught at the last line, "What? Every moon one more will die?"

"I didn't think it meant anything" Razorpaw admitted, "I don't even know whose voice it was; I thought it was just me..."

Chaospaw muttered the rhyme out to himself, going over some lines more than once. Razorpaw kept silent, watching Chaospaw think. He'd try to think about it himself, but he just ended up going in circles and making himself more confused. He was surprised that Chaospaw actually believed him in the first place. It felt better to share the story with somebody, after keeping quiet for what felt like moons.

"When I woke up" Razorpaw almost missed out an important part, "Cheetahstar and Shimmerpool...They thought I was dead. Cheetahstar said that I died and came back to life, although I'm not sure how that's even possible..."

"Even StarClan can't bring back the dead" Chaospaw muttered, but he spoke about StarClan as if they didn't mean so much to him anymore. He sunk his claws into the ground while he thought, while he decided what to make of all this and what to do next.

After a few more moments, Chaospaw shook his head, "We have to go to the MoonFalls."

"What? Do you think StarClan will know something?"

"Maybe" the black tom admitted, "But that...I'll call it a _Prophecy_, tells us to search, what for, I don't know, but the first place is _highest sky._ And the highest point on the coast is-"

"The MoonFalls!" Razorpaw gasped, "That has to be it!" He felt a sudden twinge of energy singe through his body, the same twinge he hadn't felt for about a quarter-moon now. It made him freeze, the sense of de-ja-vu beginning to nag at his mind.

"You okay?" Chaospaw asked. Noticing his friend was looking at him strangely; Razorpaw stubbornly shook it off and nodded.

"Yeah. But how can we find our way to the MoonFalls? And how would we get there without the clan noticing?"

Chaospaw sighed dejectedly, his glittering red eyes turning to the ground, "I'm not sure about the Clan not noticing" He admitted, shifting his paws slightly, "But it's Quarter-Moon in two days. Shimmerpool and Ghostpaw will be going then. We have to follow them."

"Only two days!" Razorpaw gasped, "But-"

"It's then or never" Chaospaw growled, returning his gaze to the silver tom, "We have to go. We have questions to answer."

A chilling breeze shifted through the trees. Razorpaw puffed up his fur, but Chaospaw remained still.

"Do you think we're doing the right thing?" Razorpaw whispered, eyes shimmering with the glow of the moon through the trees.

"Well. There's only one way to find out."


	17. Explanations

~Whew, this is a long chapter, the longest I've written so far! This is over double the length of some of my previous chapters so… Sorry if it's a bit too long x3~

**Chapter 17: Explanations**

Leopardpaw wasn't really one for keeping things discreet. But when she yelled at the top of her voice seemingly to every cat on the coast, Razorpaw and Chaospaw were glad they'd been able to get out of camp for a while.

"What do you mean, you're going to the MoonFalls!" The golden she-cat yelled, eyes widening in surprise and tail freezing abruptly.

Razorpaw winced at his denmate's impossibly loud voice, and he could see that Chaospaw was grimacing as well.

"This is why I suggested we tell Silentpaw…" The black tom grumbled, shaking his head roughly.

"No, I think Leopardpaw can keep it a secret" Razorpaw tried to convince his friend - and himself. Leopardpaw maybe wasn't the best at keeping things a secret, but in all honestly, Razorpaw still couldn't find the courage to talk to either of his littermates. After being unable to find that blood trail, he'd lost a vital clue surrounding his father's death, the death that split them in the first place. He felt like he was partly to blame, that he'd let them down for not finding that all important trail.

He'd let them down. He couldn't face them. That was the truth and he knew it very well.

"Are you two even listening to me!" Leopardpaw demanded, "Going to the MoonFalls, by yourselves? Have you both got bees in your brain?"

"No, but if you keep yelling we might have" Chaospaw snapped, "We're serious, Leopardpaw. Keep it quiet."

The golden spotted she-cat still looked disbelieving, "Why do you want to go to the MoonFalls?" She whispered, the shock in her eyes turning into worry, "What if you get lost? Or get eaten?"

Chaospaw snorted, but Razorpaw was dubious as to how confident he really was, "I'm pretty sure when they said birds the size of foxes fly over MountainClan, they were exaggerating. And we won't get lost. We're going to follow Shimmerpool and Ghostpaw."

"But why?" Leopardpaw repeated; she obviously wasn't going to let this go without good reason, "Why the MoonFalls?"

The two toms shared an uncertain glance. Razorpaw felt his throat tighten up, and he looked towards the ground to avert the other cats' gazes. He wanted to tell Leopardpaw about everything, he really did. But would that mean he would have to tell Stingpaw and Silentpaw too? Would Leopardpaw even believe them? Maybe it would be too much of a risk. He still wasn't sure she was going to keep quiet about them leaving.

Chaospaw sighed, "If we find what we need to know at the MoonFalls, we'll fill you in after that, okay?" He asked, hoping it would be good enough for her.

Leopardpaw shook her head slowly, "But why...?" She started, unable to ask anything else.

Razorpaw felt sorry for her. He remembered how lost he felt when he didn't know why somebody else was doing something. It momentarily reminded him of the time when Wolfstreak had brought Wildstripe's body back to camp, when all the cats were looking broken and disheartened, and he didn't know why. It was a truly horrible feeling.

"We'll explain everything" Razorpaw told her solemnly, padding over to her and touching his muzzle to hers, "Just not now. I promise we will."

He wasn't sure of her initial reaction, as he shut his eyes in hope that she would agree. After a heartbeat she stepped away, and he looked up at her. Her eyes were still round, but the worried glitter that dominated before was slowly vanishing. She took a deep breath, shutting her own eyes for a second, and then nodded towards them.

"How long will you be?" She asked, not out of longing, merely a simple question. Razorpaw felt a light sense of relief. She wasn't worried any more. That was all he needed to know.

"Hopefully, we'll leave tonight and be back by morning" Chaospaw sighed, "It'll be tough, without the travelling herbs. But if we can keep up with Shimmerpool and Ghostpaw on the way there, we might be able to beat them back to the camp."

Razorpaw's paws tingled with the thought of trekking up a mountain, standing on the highest height the coast had to offer, feeling the ocean wind from way up in the sky. He wondered how much of the coast he could see from there, how much of the twolegplace or how many more mountains there were. He wondered what the terrain was like, what kind of prey they could eat, what different things they could see. Being confined to Clan borders could sometimes feel suffocating.

But then he thought about the dangers they'd face, the predators they'd come across, the problems they'd need to solve. He tried to smother these new thoughts away to the back of his mind, but even as he did, he knew they were still there.

"Leopardpaw" Chaospaw mewed, snapping the silver tom from his thoughts, "If anyone asks where we are, say we went hunting early, near the DesertClan border. We should be back before anyone gets suspicious."

She nodded determinedly, "Alright. I will."

Chaospaw nodded and turned to Razorpaw, "I suggest you get something to eat and rest until we leave. We may not have time to hunt."

"Alright" Razorpaw agreed, looking from Chaospaw to Leopardpaw. Hopefully, things would all go as Chaospaw had planned. If by some chance they didn't...

_Best not think about that._

"Alright then" Chaospaw turned his gaze towards the bright blue sky, "Tonight, we leave for the MoonFalls."

The last rays of warm evening sunlight finally vanished from view. The previously orangey-pink sky was growing a new, purple-blue shade, and the very first of the glimmering stars were beginning to show. The sky was cloudless, just what they needed, and the moon was rising from across the ocean.

It was almost time to go.

Razorpaw hurriedly gulped down the rest of his mouse. He'd had more than usual, taking his friend's advice to keep himself full in case they didn't have time to hunt. Leopardpaw and Chaospaw were having a quiet conversation over by the Nursery, most probably setting the final preparations for their journey. Shimmerpool was sat outside her den, waiting for Ghostpaw to prepare the travelling herbs for them both. Thunderclaw was dazing in the sun beside her - his wound from the rogue attack was close to healed, although Shimmerpool had said that he'd probably feel the pain for a while yet. Looking more closely at the golden tom, Razorpaw could clearly see the ugly scar across one of his hind legs, a pinkish-red and preventing fur from growing over it. Leopardpaw had been fretting over her father for the entire time he was stuck in the Medicine Cat's Den, hunting for him every day and without fail fetching new moss for his nest.

_That's probably why she's so worried_, Razorpaw deduced, glancing away from the injured tom. He remembered a time when golden spotted she-cat would've jumped at the chance to go on such a big adventure - and to the MoonFalls no less. But since the rogue attack a quarter-moon ago, she had lost her impulsive sense of thrill-seeking, seeing what dangers lay outside the clan borders. She had taken her training very seriously, and was quickly becoming a great apprentice.

He looked around the camp again, noticing Cheetahstar sat on her stone on the FallRock, and Darkheart lay by the pool underneath. Wolfstreak, Skyhawk and Nightraven were heading for their den for the night, shortly followed by Yellowgaze and Snowpelt. Sparrowflight emerged from the den just before the other she-cats entered, and the brown warrior padded across the clearing, over to Stingpaw and Silentpaw, who were sharing a squirrel.

He watched with a distinctly hollow feeling as the brown she-cat said something to her apprentice, before turning away and heading back for the Warriors den. The two apprentices continued to eat, shrouded in the shadow of a particularly large leaf near the edge of camp. If Sparrowflight hadn't gone over to them, Razorpaw doubted he would've noticed them. It was like they hardly even existed to him anymore.

_What's wrong with me?_ Razorpaw shook his head at the thought; _They're my littermates, so why can't I even talk to them?_

He watched them until the squirrel they were eating was almost gone. He felt cold, and it wasn't just because the sun had set. He felt it inside; in his heart most of all. He wanted to talk to them, but what could he say? 'Sorry I haven't said anything for a quarter-moon, are you okay?' just sounded odd to him. He didn't even know how they'd taken Wildstripe's death. He'd not even gone to talk to them after the dog attack earlier.

_What's wrong with me?_ He growled to himself silently, shutting his eyes tight. He gave his whole pelt a shake, feeling more lost than ever.

_Why can't I…_

"Razorpaw, it's almost time."

He quickly opened his eyes as he heard his name. Chaospaw was stood before him, nodding towards the Medicine Cat's den, where Shimmerpool and Ghostpaw were just leaving. They padded across camp to the entrance log, Shimmerpool stopping to have a quick word with Cheetahstar before they left.

"Y-Yeah…" Razorpaw rose to his paws, "Where's Leopardpaw?"

Chaospaw flicked his ears again to the Medicine Den, "With Thunderclaw" He announced, looking back at the silver tom, "Are you okay to go?"

Razorpaw tilted his head slightly, "What do you mean?"

"I saw you just now" Chaospaw admitted, gaze softening, "You should say something to them before you go" He looked away slightly, blinking, "Although I've tried to avoid the thought, there is a possibility something will go wrong. I'm not guaranteeing we'll make it back."

Razorpaw again didn't really know what to say to them. If something did go wrong, and they didn't make it back, what would happen then? He shivered, forcing his fur to stay down despite the cold he was feeling.

"I-I will" He mumbled, giving a small nod. Chaospaw blinked to him, and pointed his tail towards the Nursery.

"We'll have to use the gap behind the Nursery" He mewed, "That way we'll probably reach the MountainClan border before Shimmerpool and Ghostpaw. We'll wait for them to pass us there, and then follow them up to the MoonFalls."

_We're really doing this. _"Alright" Razorpaw mewed as determinedly as he could. _We're really going to the MoonFalls._

"I'll wait for you outside the camp" Chaospaw mewed as he left, crossing the small stream and as discreetly as he could and headed to the back of the Nursery. Razorpaw watched until even his best friend's tail tip had vanished behind the den, before sighing emptily to himself.

He pulled his gaze away from the den, looking back to his littermates. They weren't eating anymore, simply sitting under the leaf together. Razorpaw took a deep breath, and took a pawstep towards them.

_What can I say to them?_ He thought desperately. _Should I tell them where I'm going?_

_Should I ask how they are after the dog attack?_

_Or if they were okay after Wildstripe…_

_What can I say?_

He would've liked to think about it more, but unfortunately for him his paws had taken him to his littermates faster than he had anticipated. Before he had time to properly think about it, he found himself stood just under the edge of the huge leaf the two apprentices had been sheltering under. They were both looking at him, eyes different shades of the somewhat same blue.

"Razorpaw?" Stingpaw seemed surprised more than anything. Razorpaw blinked at his brother, noticing now how much bigger he was in just a quarter-moon. It took him back slightly, but he had to say something.

"Are…Are you both okay?" He asked, feeling awkward and uncomfortable, a situation he wouldn't have ever imagined before. 

Stingpaw continued to stare at him, "Yeah" He mumbled, "Lionfrost took care of the dog. It didn't hurt us."

"T-That's a relief…" Although it sounded strange to even himself, Razorpaw was genuinely relieved. He knew he should've asked earlier, but he had been scared. Why, he wasn't so sure any more. Why should he have been scared to talk to them? They were his littermates. If there was anyone, they would understand.

"I just thought I'd tell you…" He started, but was cut off mid-way.

"What happened to you, Razorpaw?" Stingpaw asked suddenly, glittering blue eyes sharp as ice but voice emotionless, "You spend all your time with Chaospaw now. Did you forget about us?"

"What!" Razorpaw felt stung, "N-No!" He protested, "It's just-"

"What?" Stingpaw wasn't having it, "You haven't said a word to us since that day" His voice changed at the last part, becoming rougher. Razorpaw could see it in his brother's accusing eyes. He hadn't got over the death of his father yet. It still troubled him too. In truth, it still troubled them all.

Silentpaw wasn't even looking at him. She gazed emptily at the ground, misty blue eyes clouded with sadness and grief. She'd never said anything to him, but now it was different. Had she lost hope in him too?

"What've you been doing for a quarter moon?" Stingpaw continued, "You even talk to Leopardpaw more than us. I don't know what we did wrong"

"You didn't do anything wrong!" Razorpaw felt horrible at what he'd gotten himself, and his littermates into. He never knew they felt this way. That was his fault to, maybe if he'd said something before, they would've been able to take the pain together. But he'd left them.

"I…I…" He wanted to tell them. About the star, about the blood trail and everything else. But he couldn't. If he started telling them now, he'd miss his chance to go to the MoonFalls. He didn't want to half-explain it to them, when he could perhaps rebuild their relationship later. If he could make it back from this journey, he would tell Stingpaw, Silentpaw and Leopardpaw everything.

"What?" Stingpaw shook his head slightly, his voice colder than ever, making Razorpaw feel just that much worse.

He swallowed; although it felt dry and icy and pricked his throat, "I'm sorry" Was all he could choke out in the end. He shut his eyes and looked away, unable to bear the stares any longer. After a few agonizing heartbeats, be took another deep breath and looked back to them.

Silentpaw was looking at him for the first time. She didn't seem as distant as she was before, her misty white eyes showing a new, warmer glimmer of forgiveness. Razorpaw began to purr softly. That was the sister he knew. Silentpaw had a good heart. She could never hate her brother. In truth, the silver apprentice thought she could never hate anyone. While she never said it, she loved everyone. That was just how she was.

"Yeah, I'm sorry too" Stingpaw mewed with a rueful sigh. Razorpaw sighed too, glad that both his littermates had forgiven him.

"I'm sorry that I thought you'd give us an explanation."

…_W-What?_

"I don't know what you're up to, but you're up to something, and Chaospaw's in on it too!" Stingpaw growled, tone so cold it made Razorpaw shiver in fear. He'd never seen Stingpaw like this. Wildstripe's death had truly hurt him. It had changed him. The black and silver tom's eyes were mad with grief, it was evident now. It had torn him apart inside.

If only Razorpaw had been a better brother. Maybe he'd have noticed the change in his brother's heart and helped to fix it. Maybe he could've kept the bond the littermates had built since birth.

Maybe he could've stopped his brother losing faith in him.

"I'll stop the rogues" Stingpaw announced suddenly, silvery white claws sliding out, "I'll tear OceanClan apart if I have to. I'll track them all down and make them pay for what they've done!"

"Stingpaw…" Razorpaw stepped back, breathing quickly in…fear? He'd never seen Stingpaw act like this. He didn't like it. He wanted to run. But how could he? He couldn't leave him like this.

"I don't care what I have to do. I'll do anything if it means I can get back at them!" He padded closer to Razorpaw, so close that their muzzles almost touched, so close that his icy blue eyes felt like they were piercing the frightened silver tom, "I don't know what you're doing, but if you get in my way, I won't hold back."

Razorpaw could've sworn his heart was in his throat. He couldn't breathe. The agonized aura emitting from his brother was choking him. It was just like that time. Like when he had woken up to find the gathering patrol in ruins, his father dead and his siblings broken. It felt as if he was being crushed.

He hadn't even noticed. Stingpaw had left, padding across the clearing to the apprentices den, not looking back. Silentpaw had gone too, but not with Stingpaw. Razorpaw turned his head rigidly, seeing her at the corner of his vision, pressed up against Vaporsoul in undisclosed fear. The silver queen wrapped her tail around her kit, nuzzling her gently. She didn't know what was wrong with her, of course, but she tried her best to calm Silentpaw down all the same.

Razorpaw felt numb. He placed his paw on the ground – but he couldn't feel it. He couldn't feel anything. Only the suffocating tension, the crushing aura that threatened to overwhelm him.

It was all automatic for him. As he walked, he slowly regained feeling. As he walked, he began to see clearly, vision not blurred in fear. He could feel his heartbeat and his pulse, the wind against his fur, the night air brushing against his whiskers.

He stopped at the nursery. The whole conversation had happened so quickly, but it seemed so long.

It had changed something inside him, but it had not changed the fact that he was embarking on a journey to the highest point on the coast.

One thing that had changed however, was that the newfound determination to prove himself. And if above everything else, he had to prove to himself that he could do it.


	18. Road to the Highest Sky

**Chapter 18: Road to the Highest Sky**

The first of the night's stars was just beginning to glitter as the two toms reached the MountainClan border. The salty ocean breeze blew upland, giving them no hints as to what was waiting for them over the rise. The dense forest had thinned out, now almost no trees covered the forest dwelling cats, leaving them feeling unusually open and exposed, even on their side of the border. The earth underpaw was growing increasingly rocky, up to the point that little or no grass grew on the ground.

Razorpaw had taken no notice of any of his surroundings. He still felt hollow, his brother's harsh words echoing in his mind like a never ending flow, and it was distracting him. He felt so guilty that he thought he would drown in it. His heart ached more now than ever before. He couldn't bare the mix of emotions swimming around inside of him.

But he had to.

"We made it here first" Chaospaw noted, lifting his head to taste the breeze, "I can smell Shimmerpool and Ghostpaw downriver. They'll be here soon."

"Hm…" Razorpaw gave a little nod to show acknowledgement, but really it was hard to process the information.

"We'll hide in the trees below the rise…" Chaospaw continued, heading back into the cover of trees. Razorpaw followed absent-mindedly, hardly feeling the twigs and thorns poke at his pelt. They stopped just into the shrubs, hiding behind a thick Holly bush to wait for the Medicine Cats.

"We'll have to be careful once they pass us" Chaospaw continued to explain, "The wind's blowing upland, so don't go directly behind them or they'll smell you. At the same time, we don't know where they meet the other Medicine cats, so don't go too far ahead either."

"Okay" Razorpaw agreed after a moment, glancing down at his paws.

_What if I don't find anything at the MoonFalls? What do I tell them then?_

"You'll need to stay sharp. Stop sulking" The black tom snapped, jolting the silver apprentice from his thoughts. Razorpaw blinked a few times at the black apprentice, again finding it somewhat difficult to see his friend in the cover of darkness.

"I wasn't…" Razorpaw started, but decided it was best not to lie.

"I'm guessing your little chat didn't go well" Chaospaw mewed, "Were they angry with you?"

"Stingpaw was" Razorpaw murmured sadly, "I don't know about Silentpaw…"

"Stingpaw was upset that you haven't said anything to them since Wildstripe" Chaospaw meowed, but the way he said it just made Razorpaw feel that much more guilty about it.

"Yeah" The silver tom sighed in frustration, "I was such a mouse-brain… But you know, right? I didn't mean for this to happen…"

Chaospaw snorted, "Of course you didn't. Who'd want their littermates to hate them? But none of that matters at the moment. We could be onto something bigger."

Razorpaw shook his head, "I know that. But I-"

"Shh! They're here!"

The two toms gazed across the open stretch of land to see Shimmerpool emerge from the trees, with Ghostpaw following obediently behind. The gray tom's pelt looked silver in the moonlight, and the medicine cat's ginger fur shimmered with a silvery hue. Even as normal living Clan cats, they looked strangely ethereal in the glow of the moon.

The two cats padded along in silence, heading up the steep rise that marked the MountainClan border. The two toms in the bush watched cautiously until both cats had made it over the rise and had disappeared from view.

"Alright. Let's go!" Chaospaw urged quietly, stalking out from underneath the bush and slowly climbing the steep moonlit hill. Razorpaw followed directly behind, the reality of what they were doing only now setting in for him. His paws felt light and tingly, but his stomach felt knotted and tight. He held his breath out of instinct, placing his paws to the ground as carefully and quietly as he could. By the time the two had made it to the top of the rise, they began to see just what they were in for.

Razorpaw craned his neck, trying to gaze at the peaks of the mountains at the other end of the territory. There were several, high rising mountains, towering over the MountainClan territory like a barricading wall. It was like the two cats had stepped into a whole new world, just by crossing the rise. The ground was so uneven it looked like a storm had torn it to shreds. Crags jutted out from the ground seemingly at random, looking pale in the moonlight, some higher than Razorpaw would've liked. The few patches of straggly grass looked black in the night. The whole complexity of the territory made Razorpaw feel small and unwelcome. It truly frightened him.

Chaospaw took a moment to study the outcrop of rocks, before flicking his tail for Razorpaw to follow and headed off across the uncomfortably open ground. The two apprentices pushed on across the rocky terrain, doing their best to keep the medicine cats in sight as they followed.

"Wait" Chaospaw suddenly stopped in his tracks, and Razorpaw was sure if the black tom hadn't of said anything he would've kept going. It was becoming bothersome how hard it was to see him in the dark.

"What is it?" Razorpaw whispered, padding up beside his friend. They were higher up than the cats they were following, so they looked smaller than usual.

"Flowerheart!" Shimmerpool greeted the MountainClan medicine cat with glee, and the two she-cats touched noses before continuing. "Wow, Russetpaw, you've grown!"

The brown apprentice stood beside his mentor, dipping his head politely, "I know" He admitted with a purr, "I seem to grow quickly"

"That's good" Shimmerpool purred too, but stopped abruptly when she noticed something behind the other medicine cats.

"What're they doing here?" She motioned with her tail to something in the shadows. Both Razorpaw and Chaospaw gazed in the direction she had pointed, squinting just enough to see the three pairs of eyes keeping check on the medicine cats.

"Oh, you see, Shadepaw was almost taken by an eagle yesterday, so Acidstar said we should have some warriors with us just in case" Flowerheart explained, "I hope you don't mind"

"Not at all" Shimmerpool mewed, but still seemed cautious staring into the shadows still.

"You don't have to stay hidden" Flowerheart told the MountainClan warriors sternly. Slowly, the three cats padded from under the shadow of an overhanging rock, coming into the moonlight to stand beside their clanmates.

"Duskglow, Lilystream, Heatherheart" Shimmerpool greeted the trio with a nod; nowhere near as friendly as she was with Flowerheart. Ghostpaw dipped his head to them too.

"We best hurry" Flowerheart began to head upland, Russetpaw and Ghostpaw walking side-by-side next to her. Shimmerpool caught up with the fellow medicine cat, while the three warriors kept a certain distance behind.

"Well _this_ complicates things" Chaospaw grumbled to himself, eyeing the warriors carefully.

Razorpaw was watching the three warriors as well, noticing how much easier they moved around on the hard stone and uneven ground than the JungleClan cats did. Even so, if they were in the thick bush of JungleClan they'd probably be just as uncomfortable.

Chaospaw opened his mouth to check the breeze, and then closed it again while shutting his eyes.

"We should be fine if we stay on this side of them" He calculated, "We'll have to see what they do when we get to the MoonFalls. But be careful. One wrong move and they'll see us for sure."

"Alright" Razorpaw swallowed hard, taking a deep breath as he tried to stay calm. He followed quickly as Chaospaw sat off again. For a while they pressed on smoothly, their cautiousness paying off as the medicine cats and MountainClan warriors failed to notice them. But as they approached the mountains, things started to become problematic.

"Shimmerpool said that the MoonFalls were inside a cave of one of the mountains" Chaospaw explained quietly as the snuck across the unfamiliar land, "Once the medicine cats get there, I don't know if the warriors will go inside or stay outside. But either way, we'll have to wait 'till they leave to go in."

"But we won't make it back in time!" Razorpaw exclaimed as quietly as he could, casting an uneasy glance down to the cats they were following. Thankfully, they were still going unnoticed.

"I know" The black tom sighed, "So hopefully Leopardpaw can cover for us."

"But how long does it take to talk to StarClan?" Razorpaw queried.

"No idea" Chaospaw admitted blatantly, "Never done it. We'll just have to hope for the best when we get there."

"I don't like this" Razorpaw murmured ruefully, "What if StarClan don't even talk to us?"

"Then that doesn't matter" Chaospaw meowed to Razorpaw's surprise, "Like I said, StarClan isn't everything. We just need to-"

Razorpaw was waiting for Chaospaw to finish and hadn't noticed he'd stopped walking. The silver tom stopped abruptly only a heartbeat before he would've crashed into his best friend, catching his breath in his throat when he almost yelped in surprise. He could feel his heart in his chest, drumming in his ears, knowing that he'd almost given them away so close to the MoonFalls.

"Why'd you stop!" Razorpaw hissed quietly, "I almost walked into you…"

Chaospaw flicked his ears across the rocky ground, and at first, the silver tom thought he was pointing to the medicine cats. But after looking around for a few more moments, Razorpaw could just about see what Chaospaw had been looking at. It was difficult to see too clearly, but in the glow of the moonlight it was just about visible. Appearing and disappearing between the rocks, pelt merging with the shadows on the ground and then looking silver-gray in the open light. The figure of a small cat, pursuing the group of medicine cats and warriors just as they were. However, this cat was travelling alone.

"Hm. Looks like we aren't the only ones doing a bit of sneaking around" Chaospaw observed, eyes narrowing down to slits as he watched the black cat move from shadow to shadow, crossing the rocks with ease.

"Is that another MountainClan cat?" Razorpaw whispered, bright blue eyes also following the shady cat.

"I'd say so, by the way he's moving around the rocks. An apprentice, I'm guessing by the size…" Chaospaw answered, and then crouched down to think. Razorpaw kept his gaze locked on the MountainClan apprentice, somewhat out of wonder, but mostly just to make sure he didn't spot them.

"Ro… It's defi…. Yo…" Words reached the silver apprentice's ears, and he whipped around in fear that they had been caught. He slid out his claws on instinct, eyes raking over the rocky ground so quickly that he thought he'd go dizzy. Despite searching for their pursuer, by sight and by scent, there didn't seem to be any cat following them.

"Di…Did you just say something?" He asked Chaospaw warily, and the black tom simply shook his head.

"…Kai… Ere…" Broken words flooded the silver tom's mind, so much that it hurt. He gritted his teeth at the sudden pain, desperately resisting the urge to wail out, shaking his head roughly as white noise battered his ears. He began to panic, flailing around and scraping his claws against the rough earth beneath him.

"Say….Koll…. Fu…"

_What's going on!_ Inside his head he was panicking, more so than he was physically, _What's happening to me!_

"Razorpaw?" Chaospaw had noticed the silver tom's disturbance, and his eyes were growing round with concern, "What's happening?"

If he could've answered, he'd have said his head felt like his head was exploding. But before he could even utter that much, all feeling drained from his body and he collapsed onto the hard stone floor. He felt his head hit the ground, feeling a throbbing sense envelope him and slowly watching his sight blur and dull until the world seemed to go black around him. Chaospaw's voice echoed in his head as the black tom called out his name, growing slightly fainter every time it repeated. The only thing he could feel now was his own breathing, slow and even, but even that wasn't going to last.

He didn't know what had happened. But even his mind was failing him now.

All he could do now was sleep.


	19. Conection

**Chapter 19: Connection**

"Thank goodness you're alright!"

"Same to you. What happened to us?"

Razorpaw couldn't see anything. Not himself or Chaospaw, not MountainClan or JungleClan or even that strange beach he had visited in his dreams. He couldn't feel anything either, like something was suppressing all of his senses apart from his hearing. He couldn't identify the voices he was listening too, and seeing as he couldn't do anything else he settled for simply listening in on the echoing voices deep in conversation.

"I don't know. I don't even know where we are…"

"That would take some explaining. It would take a while but I have an idea…"

The silver apprentice couldn't make out anything else that was said. He strained his ears – although, he thought that he did, he wasn't even aware of his own presence in this place – to listen, but eventually the two voices began to sound muffled and distant. He caught parts of words, but nothing near substantial enough to put together a sentence. After a few heartbeats more, when the words had been reduced to nothing but a distant buzz, a new voice struck him. But this time, it was a voice he knew only too well.

"Razorpaw! Razorpaw!"

_Ch…Chaospaw?_

It felt strange opening his eyes, and even stranger when the moonlight shone onto his face, making him recoil and shut his eyes tightly again. He rolled over slowly, finally able to feel his fur pressing against the stone, able to scent the drifting salty sea breeze, able to acknowledge that he actually existed.

"Are you okay?" Chaospaw was stood over the silver tom, red eyes gazing down at him with a mixture of worry and curiosity. Razorpaw craned his neck back to look at the other tom, opening one eye slightly to see.

"I…I think so…" He muttered, somewhat unsure himself. With a bit of effort and help from Chaospaw he was able to stand, and while his body quivered slightly he felt fine. He stretched out his legs and his tail, flexed his claws and twisted his neck. He didn't feel anything off at all.

"You just blacked out…" Chaospaw murmured quietly, "What happened?"

"I don't know" Razorpaw stated truthfully, "Was I out for long?"

"Only a few minutes…" Chaospaw shook his head, "But what happened to you? Does that happen often?"

The silver tom couldn't remember blacking out before, so he shook his head. "No" He answered after a moment, "It's never happened before."

Chaospaw didn't say anything else for a while, simply stared at the silver tom with questioning eyes. When Razorpaw began to feel a little uncomfortable under his friend's gaze, he shuffles his paws and decided to change the subject. He really did feel fine, so there was nothing to worry about. Right?

"Shouldn't we catch up to the medicine cats?" He suggested, padding in the direction they were heading even before Chaospaw had a chance to answer. The black tom's gaze followed him as he went past, but he said nothing more and for the first time it was Razorpaw who was leading on the journey upland. He tried to ignore the fact he had absolutely no idea what had happened to him, so he put his blackout down to exhaustion and the mix of emotions inside him. In all honesty he didn't believe it himself, but as Chaospaw had said before they could be on to something bigger. It was vital to them both that they kept up with the group ahead of them. That was the reason he gave for paying little attention to what had just happened. Even if he didn't believe it himself, it was a valid enough reason for him to accept.

But another feeling was there, niggling at his mind like an ant in his fur. If it was indeed an omen, then StarClan were watching them as they trespassed on another clan's territory. Maybe they were showing their disapproval of what the two toms were doing, or more worryingly, it was a warning for something to come.

"What happened to that other cat?" Razorpaw asked, suddenly remembering the cat they were watching before he fainted.

"I don't know" Chaospaw replied from behind, "I lost sight of him when you passed out."

Razorpaw nodded and carried on. He eventually let Chaospaw take the lead, feeling more comfortable following behind the other tom. But he couldn't suppress the blackout from his mind. Actually, he was starting to jump to conclusions about why it had happened. And with each one he began to feel more and more afraid of what they would find at the MoonFalls.

"C-Chaospaw…" The silver tom stuttered, unable to shake the ominous feeling from his head.

"Yeah?"

"What if…What if the blackout was an omen?" He confessed, although still keeping a low voice, "What if we're doing the wrong thing?"

He didn't get a response for a moment, so he guessed the black tom was carefully thinking about his words.

"I honestly don't know" Chaospaw admitted to Razorpaw's surprise, "Your _prophecy_ told us to search the highest sky, and there's nowhere on the coast higher than the MoonFalls. However if you passing out was an omen, then I wouldn't know where to go next."

Razorpaw leapt a small crack in the ground, still hating the unevenness of MountainClan territory, "If it is an omen…" He mumbled, "What do you think will happen?"

"I can't say. But we can't go back now" Chaospaw meowed; now padding alongside the silver tom. He looked as if he was thinking hard about what they were doing. Razorpaw took a deep breath, trying to clear his head of the buzzing mess that had taken over his thoughts.

"There they are" Chaospaw announced quietly, slowing to a stop behind a large rock and cautiously peering around the side. Razorpaw followed, pressing his body to the ground and also taking a look around the rock. The other group of cats were congregated around a cave entrance, presumably leading up to the MoonFalls somewhere up the side of the mountain.

"Are you three going to come with us?" Shimmerpool was asking, stood at the entrance to a cave while still eyeing the three warriors suspiciously.

"No" The only tom in the group of warriors, Duskglow, answered with a dip of his head, "I'll wait out here. Lilystream, Heatherheart" He flicked his tail to the two she-cats, "You can go back and check now."

"Check?" Flowerheart repeated, "Check what?"

Duskglow narrowed his eyes slightly, "We picked up a few strange scents a while back. So we need to check them out."

Razorpaw tensed up, holding his breath and feeling his blood run cold. Had they been found out?

"Why didn't you do this before?" Flowerheart gasped, "It might be-"

Duskglow silenced her with a flick of his tail and a hard look, "It could be anything, or even nothing" He growled, nodding to the two she-cats. Lilystream and Heatherheart raced back the way they had come, disappearing into the shadows of the craggy ground.

"I'll stay out here" Duskglow repeated his instructions, "You go and do what you need to" He sat himself down by the side of the cave entrance. Flowerheart narrowed her eyes slightly, still looking at him even though he was blatantly going to ignore anything she said now.

"Come on!" Shimmerpool urged, Ghostpaw and Russetpaw already padding ahead into the cave. Flowerheart sighed ruefully and followed, at last her calico pelt fading away into the pitch black cave, Duskglow keeping a vigilant watch from outside.

"They're on to us!" Razorpaw hissed, throat dry and cold, "What do we do?"

"What _can_ we do?" Chaospaw grumbled irritably, "We don't have a choice. We have to stay here and hope that they don't find us."

"Can't we hide?" Razorpaw forced back a shiver, through the cold and the fear he could feel like an itch under his pelt.

"We go back now and there's a chance we'll run into the she-cats" The black tom snapped, "We go forward and that tom will definitely see us. The safest thing to do right now is to stay right here."

"B-But…" Razorpaw swallowed hard, scraping his claws against the cold hard ground. He hated this feeling, being in this situation but not being able to do a thing about it. "What can we do?"

"Nothing" Chaospaw kept his red-brown eyes fixed on the warrior outside of the cave, while keeping his ears pinned back for any sounds behind them. He sat down, calmly folding his tail over his paws and fluffing up his fur to keep warm.

"We wait."


	20. Watching

**Chapter 20: Watching**

It felt like the two apprentices had been sat there for moons. The night air was cold, but thankfully the terrain around the mountains blocked out the majority of the biting wind. The stone ground beneath them felt chilling against their fur, causing them both to feel the cold just that much more. The sky however remained clear, there wasn't a cloud in sight and the stars and the moon shone clear as crystals over the coast.

Did that mean StarClan could see them now?

Razorpaw shivered, taking a deep breath as if trying to swallow his doubts. He could still feel a dull ache in his head from when he had passed out, echoing and pulsing like a wave of pain washing over him every few minutes. But it wasn't so much the pain that was bothering him, more so the fact that the two apprentices could be padding into something big, ignoring a possible warning from StarClan themselves. He thought about the voices he had listened to while he had been unconscious, the way he had been suspended in darkness much like the first time he had heard the words of the prophecy. He wondered who the voices belonged to, and if they were trying to tell him something. But from what he had heard, there wasn't anything in particular he could pick out that was any use to them. Maybe it was StarClan, or if Chaospaw was right, maybe something else was trying to speak to him?

Were StarClan the only ones looking down on them now?

It didn't really matter. Even if there was something higher gazing down at the two apprentices, Razorpaw held complete faith that StarClan would show them the right thing to do when the time came.

He had to believe in them. His father walked those skies, after all.

He glanced over to Chaospaw, who had hardly moved a muscle since the two had stopped in the shadow of a large boulder. The black tom kept his eyes fixed on the MountainClan warrior perched at the cave entrance, watching like a hawk for any changes or sudden movements. Razorpaw looked from him to all the rocky surfaces surrounding them, the uneven crags and jutting rocks that made travelling harder but thankfully gave many places to hide. However, he still didn't like the rocky territory of the MountainClan cats. Being encased by overlooking, jagged stones made him feel trapped. He didn't think he could ever be warm without the grass and the shrubs brushing against his fur. It just didn't feel natural to be where they were now.

"Hey!" He suddenly heard Chaospaw whisper to him. He quickly but quietly padded over to join the other tom, keeping just behind him as he watched Duskglow from the safety of the darkness. Razorpaw knew that while Chaospaw's jet-black fur blended in ridiculously well with the shadows, his own sleek silver pelt would reflect even the slightest amount of moonlight if he made a wrong move.

"Look" Chaospaw flicked his ears ever so slightly in the direction of the mountain. Razorpaw crept forward a mouse-length, keeping himself pressed flat to the floor and as small as possible. Duskglow had been joined by another tom, and the two were having a conversation.

"What's this about Shadepaw almost being caught by a bird?" The other cat, a reddish-brown dappled tom with sparkling lime green eyes, was asking the MountainClan warrior.

"There have been more eagles around lately" Duskglow answered briskly, obviously not intending to be friendly to this Medicine Cat either, "Acidstar just wants us to take caution."

"I see" The brown tom nodded slightly, "So they sent only one warrior?"

Duskglow's amber eyes narrowed and he gazed hard at the other cat. "No. Three, but the others are scouting the lower rocks."

"Scouting around for what?" The Medicine Cat didn't seem to have complete faith in the black warrior's words. In all truth, Razorpaw had his doubts to.

"That's none of your concern, Brackenshine." Duskglow dismissed, quickly looking away as more cats began to emerge from the cave. The two apprentices in the shadows watched as Shimmerpool emerged with Flowerheart, and some cats the apprentices didn't recognize. Ghostpaw and Russetpaw emerged at the back of the group, still having a hushed conversation between themselves.

"I had heard there was a warrior standing guard…" And old, thin tom grumbled in a low voice, glaring outright at Duskglow. The old tom's white and brown pelt was overshadowed by a long, pinky-red scar that stretched from his neck to his tail across the side of the pelt. There was no fur around the horrible looking mark, and the skin was cracked and loose. Whoever had treated the wound had made a mess of it, by the looks of things.

Duskglow didn't answer, settling for glaring back at the old cat.

"He's just here to keep us safe, Falconheart" Shimmerpool reassured, passing between the glaring cats, although she did cast a questioning glance at the black warrior, who again said nothing.

"We don't need protecting" Falconheart scowled, "We do know how to defend ourselves." He looked away from the other gathered cats, mumbling something to himself as he began to pad down the rocks. "Come on, Echopaw! It's time to go!"

"H-Hey! Don't leave me!" A long furred silver-grey she-cat hurried after him, almost tripping on several crags as she raced down the rocks to catch up with her mentor.

"I said wait, you old fish-face!"

"And I said hurry up!"

The rest of the group watched the duo pad down the rocks, occasionally glancing at each other with bemused looks.

"Echopaw's so lively" Brackenshine purred, "You wouldn't think though, y'know, having to train under Falconheart."

"You just can't help some things" Flowerheart sighed, "Shall we get going, Shimmerpool?" She asked, turning to the ginger she-cat. Shimmerpool didn't seem to be looking at anything in particular, just staring into the cold night sky, the stars reflecting brightly in her eyes. Flowerheart and Brackenshine both looked questioningly at the JungleClan Medicine Cat, while the three apprentices with them were still talking amongst themselves. Although he wasn't facing the group of Medicine Cats, Duskglow had his head turned slightly towards them and he was watching Shimmerpool from the corner of his amber eye.

"Shimmerpool?" Brackenshine mewed, cocking his head to one side.

"Hm?" The ginger she-cat realized the others were staring at her, "Oh, sorry, I just spaced out for a moment" She purred lightly, giving her pelt a quick shake, "Well then, shall we go?"

"If you're ready" Flowerheart dipped her head, "We'll see you later, Brackenshine."

"May StarClan light your path!" The dappled tom exclaimed, dipping his head in return, and beckoning his apprentice with his tail, "Come on, Hollypaw."

"Okay!" The dusky grey she-cat in the group padded over to join her mentor, and the two left in the same direction that Falconheart had gone. The two remaining Medicine Cats watched them leave for a moment, before calling their own apprentices and beginning the journey home. Duskglow waited until they had all passed him before he too followed, padding along at the back of the group.

"Come on!" As soon as the group had vanished from sight, Chaospaw darted from the shadow of the boulder and headed straight for the cave. Razorpaw followed quickly, casting an uneasy glance in the direction the Medicine Cats had gone before following. He slowed as he came close to the cave entrance, eyeing the unlit cavern cautiously. They didn't know what was in there, despite it being a passage up to the MoonFalls, stepping into the unknown was always a daunting prospect.

"How will we know where to go?" Razorpaw queried, waiting for his eyes to focus in the zero-visibility cave.

"We'll follow the scents" Chaospaw explained, taking a step into the darkness, "Stay behind me."

Feeling more nervous than determined, Razorpaw nodded shakily and filed behind Chaospaw as the two entered the cave, which soon enough thinned out to a tunnel. He could see nothing at all, not the rock walls that presumably surrounded them, nor Chaospaw in front of him or even his own paws. He could hear the muffled sound of his and Chaospaw's paw steps against the cold hard stone, and the echoing drip of water from somewhere in the cave. He imagined there to be many cracks in the ceiling, leaking water from the MoonFalls down into the cave system. He tried to imagine what the MoonFalls looked like. Was it like the waterfall in JungleClan camp, only bigger? Or did it look much more different?

He realized he was letting his mind wander, so he tried to focus on following Chaospaw through the widening tunnel. The air was colder in here than it was outside, and it smelt of nothing in particular. Razorpaw fluffed out his fur and let out a cold sigh. He knew he couldn't judge how far the tunnels went by the time the Medicine Cats took, because he didn't know how long it took to talk to StarClan. He hoped that that it wouldn't take long, but at the same time he hoped that they would tell him what he needed to know. At the very least, he hoped they would talk to him at all.

After a while, Razorpaw was able to make out the shape of Chaospaw in front of him. He could see just how wide the tunnel was, and see even some of the cracks and the crags on the wall. There was light somewhere ahead of them.

"Looks like we've made it" Chaospaw muttered as if reading Razorpaw's thoughts. For the first time on this journey, Razorpaw was feeling excited, feeling his heart pumping in his chest and his paws tingling in anticipation. They'd made it across MountainClan territory and through the mountain by themselves and without being spotted. He felt a sense of pride for what they had done, despite it being against the code. Thankfully from the two apprentices, nothing had gone wrong.

Nothing had gone wrong. Yet.

"Can you hear it?" Chaospaw asked, glancing back at Razorpaw. The silver tom pricked his ears, picking up the faint rumble of water cascading over an edge just like the one back in camp.

"Yeah!" Razorpaw mewed happily, sounding like an excited kit, "We've made it!"

"Shh!" Chaospaw meowed, but with amusement in his voice, "We still don't know what's out there. So shut up, mouse-brain."

"Sorry…" The silver tom muttered, feeling embarrassed. He hurried to pad beside Chaospaw as the tunnel began to widen, eventually opening out into an almost completely circular cavern, but one with no ceiling so the moon and stars in the night sky were visible. Water poured from one of the edges, cascading down one of the more uneven walls where shimmering wet moss grew. It wasn't just a single waterfall either, three separate falls all joined together at the bottom to create a glittering pool of transparent water. More moss grew beside the edge of the pool, accompanied by some strange plants Razorpaw had never seen before. There were other, smaller still pools of water dotted around the cavern floor, and lichen-like plants dangling down the sides of the cavern.

"Woah…" Razorpaw gawped at the amazing sight, trying to take in everything at once, "This is amazing!"

"Hm" Chaospaw agreed, although he didn't seem as impressed. He was gazing at the three falls, mainly the middle one, and the pool that was below them. Razorpaw followed his gaze, and for a moment he watched the water fall, entranced by the moon's glimmering reflection off the water.

"Come on" Chaospaw made his was over to the pool, "We don't have time to sit around."

Razorpaw followed until they were both stood by the edge of the largest pool, staring down at their own reflections. Razorpaw saw his own image, his bright blue eyes and black-spotted silver fur so clearly, even in the rippling water. He could see Chaospaw beside him too, black fur gone silver in the light of the moon, and eyes looking a new bright red. And the cat on the other side of him, the big silver cat with eyes much like his own…

Razorpaw snapped his head to the side. Had they been followed? Had somebody found them?

But they were the only cats there. Razorpaw swept his gaze behind them, stopping momentarily at the dark tunnel entrance, but ultimately finding nothing.

"Did you see that?" He stared at Chaospaw, who was still looking at his own reflection.

"Hm, what?" The black tom didn't seem to have been listening, "See what?"

"There was another reflection!" Razorpaw exclaimed, hating the feeling that he'd seen that cat before somewhere, but unable to figure out where.

Chaospaw looked from him to the water, and then back to him again, "There isn't one now."

"I know but-" Razorpaw started.

"Calm down" Chaospaw told him, "This is the MoonFalls. I can't explain everything that's going to happen here. I'm in the dark about this as much as you are. If there was another reflection, it could've been StarClan or whoever else."

Razorpaw blinked, deciding to take his friend's words to heart and accepting the fact that for now, there was nothing they could do about the things they didn't understand. "Alright" He took a deep breath, feeling his paws tingling again, "So what do we do?"

"Drink a bit of the water, I'm guessing" Chaospaw shrugged. He looked down into the pool a heartbeat longer, before crouching down and lapping up a mouthful of water. He lay down, tucking his paws neatly beneath his chest and hut his eyes. After that he didn't move.

Razorpaw blinked again, wondering if Chaospaw was trying to sleep or already talking to StarClan. He wondered they could talk to StarClan at all.

_Well. I suppose there's only one way to find out for sure._

Taking the same position Chaospaw had Razorpaw stretched his neck and stuck his tongue into the water. It was cold and tasted of nothing, like any normal water. He swallowed, feeling the cool liquid slide down his throat. After a heartbeat, he began to feel different. His eyes were shutting by themselves, and he suddenly felt tired and achy, unable to move even in the slightest.

And just before his eyes had closed completely, gazing straight at him with his own bright blue eyes, the reflection of the third cat appeared in the pool once again.


	21. Reflections and Regrets

**Chapter 21: Reflections and Regrets**

It didn't feel like he'd fallen asleep, merely blinked his eyes open into a different world. He'd shut his eyes for a moment in a cavern of waterfalls and stone walls covered in moss, only to open them in a quaint forest clearing much like the ones back in JungleClan territory. While he'd gone to sleep under the stars in the night sky, here the sun shone down from the clear blue sky, with only a few wispy clouds drifting past. The grass felt soft against his fur and the breeze warm in his face. He much preferred this to the cold stone land of MountainClan.

Razorpaw blinked. That cat had shown up again.

Back in the cavern, in the pool. He'd seen it again, yet he couldn't do anything. Chaospaw had already been asleep, so he wouldn't have seen it. While this other cat looked a lot like him, Razorpaw was sure that it wasn't just his own reflection. It was something else. Something else was watching them.

"I thought you'd show up here."

Razorpaw turned his head slowly, eyes fixing on a she-cat sat on the grass, ginger pelt glittering like flame and green eyes looking straight at him. Razorpaw probably should've been feeling wary and cautious of this new cat, but he couldn't help but feel calm in this place, wherever it was.

"Is this StarClan?" Razorpaw asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Yep. This is StarClan, clan of the deceased cats with noble hearts and caring souls. Although, I do think you shouldn't really be here."

Razorpaw felt a pang of regret that he'd broken the warrior code, although as much as he hated to say it he wasn't really that sorry. He shifted his paws a little, feeling slightly uncomfortable and at a loss for something to say to defend himself.

"Oh well. You're here and there's nothing I can do about it" The she-cat sighed, shaking her head slightly. "I suppose you're here for a reason?"

Razorpaw tilted his head slightly, "Well yeah, I am…" He confessed, "But I expected StarClan cats to be a little more…"

"What? Wise? Judgmental?" The ginger warrior purred in amusement, although it seemed somewhat cynical, "No cat is perfect, apprentice. We act in death as we acted in life. I wasn't some know-it-all advice-giver, so I'm not starting now."

Razorpaw was a little surprised, but he felt more at ease knowing he wasn't being as looked down upon as much as he previously thought. "Oh…Okay. I'm Razorpaw, a JungleClan apprentice."

"My name is Embersoul, and I belonged to OceanClan" She gave a little formal introduction, "What's bothering you so much you trekked all the way to the MoonFalls? Although, I've got a pretty good idea what you're going to say."

"Wha? You do?" Razorpaw blinked, surprised.

"To tell the truth, I've been waiting for a cat from the clans to show up here. But I certainly didn't expect an apprentice as young as yourself…" She trailed off slightly, so she shook her head, presumably to clear her thoughts, "A while ago, a star fell from the sky and landed somewhere on the coast-"

"It landed on me!" Razorpaw jumped up suddenly, "The star fell on me and Cheetahstar didn't believe me!" He felt a rush of energy inside his body, finally able to acknowledge what happened as the absolute truth. He gazed at the ginger StarClan warrior, eyes wide and mouth hung open, finally happy that somebody could explain what was happening.

"So…The star fell on you, did it?" Embersoul's eyes darkened for a moment, and it felt as if she was looking straight through the silver tom. He suppressed shiver, while keeping his gaze fixed on the other cat. It seemed to him like she was studying him. "How did you survive?" She asked suddenly after a moment, taking Razorpaw by surprise.

"S-Survive…?" He instantly recalled Cheetahstar's words to him on the day of his apprentice ceremony, when he and Chaospaw had gone into her cave after Wildstripe's death.

_You died that night, Razorkit. You died and came back to life._

"I…I don't know" Razorpaw didn't know if he should've told Embersoul about what Cheetahstar had said, but at least this way he wasn't lying to her. He didn't know if she believed him or not; she still kept her gaze locked onto him, although he couldn't read her expression. But he had his own answers to get; he hadn't travelled all this way for nothing.

"What do you know about the star?" Razorpaw asked before the ginger warrior could question him anymore. She said nothing for a few moments, probably debating how much to tell the silver apprentice. But after a while, she glanced away slightly and spoke.

"The star tore a hole in StarClan's territory" She explained to Razorpaw's complete shock. _A hole in StarClan? Was that even possible?_

"At first, we thought those pesky Dark Forest cats were up to something. A while before the star actually fell, my friend Cloudshadow and I were discussing the strange feeling the cats around here were having in this very clearing. She was a lot older than me, Cloudshadow; she'd been here a long time. She said she'd never felt anything like it, or at least on this scale. No cat had any idea what was happening."

Razorpaw listened intently to the ginger cat's story, keen on getting as much information as possible while he was here.

"When the star did fall, it fell right through the divide between StarClan and the Dark Forest. It was like the sky had exploded and torn the land to pieces. Waves of some kind of energy – or really, I don't know what it was – were sent in all directions. For some cats…. It was too much."

_It was too much?_ Razorpaw glanced around the clearing, and at Embersoul, _Does that mean Cloudshadow…?_

"Even StarClan cats fade away over time…" Embersoul mewed, her voice sounding hollow, "Those who had been here the longest… That star was the end for them. Their souls couldn't take it. They all… vanished."

Razorpaw didn't really know what to say. It was obviously hurting Embersoul to retell the story in which one of her friends had died, or rather, faded away. He wanted to ask if the same thing had happened to the Dark Forest, or if Embersoul knew anything about the voice he was hearing, or even about the reflection he saw at the MoonFalls. But he couldn't bring himself to say anything. He shouldn't even be here, according to her. In all truth, he had no right to ask the StarClan she-cat anything.

"That's all I know about it" She concluded, regaining some of her confidence with speaking, "I had no idea where the star had fallen, you see, the whole of StarClan was recovering from the impact. I don't know where it came from, either. I'm afraid there's nothing more I can tell you."

"Thank you" Razorpaw felt so grateful for what Embersoul had told him, despite the fact that he wasn't really any the wiser about his prophecy. He dipped his head to her, feeling his body grow heavy and tired again, the familiar drowsiness overtaking his mind.

_I'm going back to the MoonFalls._

He lay down, watching with only half open eyes as the ginger warrior began to pad back into the trees, her translucent pelt growing fainter with every step.

Razorpaw was just about to shut his eyes to the sunbathed forest, when a thought that he'd pressed to the back of his mind forcefully arose and he immediately willed his eyes to stay open.

"Wait!" He called out to Embersoul, regretting in this state he could no longer move. He just about saw her stop, her flame-like pelt now no more than an outline as she wandered away from him.

"My father, is he here!" He cried out to her, "Is Wildstripe here!"

She looked back at him; despite her pelt fading away her eyes glittered as strong as ever. She blinked her shimmering blue eyes sympathetically, before padding even further away. Razorpaw began to panic – Why wasn't she saying anything? Was Wildstripe not here?

"You'll see your father again when the time comes!" He could no longer see her, but he could hear her voice clearly. "Don't waste your heart on grieving for the dead. You can use it better by protecting the living!"


	22. Return

**Chapter 22: Return**

Razorpaw opened his eyes suddenly, feeling his heart thudding loudly in his chest and blood pulsing rapidly through his ears. He blinked, for a moment only seeing with a blurred, black and grey vision. But a heartbeat later, he realized he was staring the cold stone floor of the cavern.

He was back at the MoonFalls.

He glanced upwards, blinking at the slowly enlightening sky and the last glimmering dots that were the stars. He could hear the rumble of the falls beside him and feel the hard stone floor against his pelt. He wasn't sure exactly how long he'd been asleep for, or how long they'd been gone from camp altogether. But judging from the sky, it looked as if it was almost sunrise.

Chaospaw was already awake. He was sat with his tail wrapped neatly around his paws, staring intently at his own reflection in the water. He didn't seem to be aware that Razorpaw was awake.

_Did he see that reflection in the water too? _Was the silver tom's first thought. Even with all the exceptionally strange things that had happened, the reflection was bothering him more than he thought it would. Maybe it was because they were at the MoonFalls, the place where StarClan would communicate with them, that troubled him. According to Embersoul, StarClan had about as much information of what was happening as they had right now.

"Oh, Razorpaw…" Chaospaw had stopped gazing at the water, and seemed somewhat surprised to see the silver apprentice awake. He blinked for a heartbeat, eyes clouded and unfocused. But before Razorpaw could ask what his friend had seen, the black tom beat him to it.

"Did you talk to StarClan?" He queried, although Razorpaw thought he sounded nervous, which was almost scary. Chaospaw was never nervous.

"Yeah. I talked to an OceanClan cat called Embersoul."

"And?"

"Admittedly, I didn't learn as much as I wanted to. But the main thing is, you were right."

"I was?" Chaospaw seemed almost surprised, "About what?"

"Everything." Razorpaw admitted grimly, "StarClan are as clueless as we are. The star came from somewhere else. According to Embersoul, even cats in the Dark Forest are suffering from the impact."

After the initial shock, Chaospaw's eyes sharpened and he began to look more like his old self again. He didn't look as worried, and he didn't have that unsure glint in his eyes. Razorpaw wondered what the other apprentice had seen in his dream, something unsettling, or even worse.

"We need to get back," Chaospaw announced after a brief moment's silence, "We'll talk then." He passed Razorpaw and headed back into the tunnel, without waiting for the silver apprentice to catch up. Razorpaw stared after him, speculating about what could've been on his friend's mind. Had he been warned of some great danger?

The two spent as little time as possible exiting the cave system, following their own scent trails and the scents of the previous Medicine cats. Despite having little food or sleep throughout the night, Razorpaw felt wide-awake, mind whirling with everything that ad happened on the journey. Despite all the questions, Chaospaw had since nothing since the two had left the MoonFalls. He kept a steady pace, pushing on down through MountainClan territory, thanking the ground when it became less steep and rocky. But Razorpaw was still curious of his friend's dream. What had Chaospaw seen when he talked to StarClan? Had he seen the reflection in the pool as Razorpaw had? What happened to the cat they had seen on the way? Why had he blacked out?

"At least StarClan haven't abandoned us" Chaospaw broke the silence suddenly as they approached JungleClan territory. Razorpaw looked up at his friend, wondering what exactly Chaospaw thought of StarClan after their trip to the MoonFalls.

"I have to admit, StarClan leaving us wasn't even on my mind" Razorpaw admitted, "With everything that's happened…"

"I know" Chaospaw leapt over a small stone, "But if everything that's going on is leading onto something bigger, it's good to know we have help."

Razorpaw studied the black tom for a moment, running over the now almost flat surface with ease. "What did you see in your dream?" He asked, curiosity getting the better of him. The way Chaospaw was talking, like he was expecting something to happen, made Razorpaw question what kind of dream he could've had, what he could've seen. At first, the black tom said nothing. Razorpaw wasn't sure if he was even going to give him an answer. Just as he was about to repeat himself, he got a reply that he never expected.

"Nothing."

"What!" Razorpaw gasped, almost tripping over, "You didn't dream?"

"No" Chaospaw's voice was flat and plain, almost as if he didn't want to talk about it.

"But why? I thought all cats who visited the MoonFalls could talk to StarClan..?" Razorpaw remembered Embersoul, the way she had acted so normally, so unlike he had expected. There couldn't have been a reason that the cats in StarClan didn't want to talk to Chaospaw. They were meant to give guidance; but why just to him?

"I guess not" Chaospaw's tone made it seem like he didn't care, although his reluctance to answer originally made Razorpaw think otherwise. "Maybe they had nothing to tell me, or they don't trust me, or whatever."

"That's not true! Of course StarClan would trust you!" Razorpaw couldn't be sure whether Chaospaw was actually bothered or not, but he couldn't leave his best friend thinking StarClan didn't trust him. "Maybe they just thought that you would figure it out by yourself?"

"Maybe."

Razorpaw sighed, reasoning that as long as one of them could talk to StarClan, it didn't really matter. As for now, he felt relieved to finally be back on JungleClan grass, where he no longer needed to worry about staying so low profile.

Chaospaw had caught a mouse on the way back, and the two had shared it just before returning to camp. They snuck in through the gap in the barrier behind the Nursery, to find the first warriors and apprentices milling about the camp. Chaospaw headed back towards the apprentices den, and slipped in seemingly without notice. Razorpaw followed, but he was caught just before he could follow his friend into the cover of the den.

"There you are." Came the familiar voice.

The silver tom looked around, only to see Nightraven stood behind him. He padded over to his mentor, making a special effort to seem awake even though he beginning to feel the effects of the journey on his body. The muscles in his legs and paws were throbbing, and the fatigue was threatening to drag him down. However, he was determined not to be caught out by his mentor.

"I was looking for you before" Nightraven mewed, and Razorpaw did his best to not flinch, "Leopardpaw told me you went hunting with Chaospaw."

"Yeah…" Razorpaw thought how best to make up a story, "I couldn't sleep, so Chaospaw suggested we go for a hunt."

"Ah. So what did you catch?"

Razorpaw opened his mouth, but no words came out. Would going hunting without catching a single piece of prey be even the least bit convincing?

"We caught these" He was surprised to hear Chaospaw's muffled mew as the back tom appeared from the den, three mice dangling in his jaws. Nightraven inspected him and the mice with an unreadable expression, before dipping his head, "Well, that's good. If you would, could you take some to the elders?"

"Sure."

"Alright. Seeing as you've already been out, I suppose battle training can wait 'till later" Nightraven announced, before turning around and padding off. Razorpaw gawped after him, before giving an astonished look at Chaospaw.

"Where did you get those!" He asked, dumbfounded.

"I caught them. Chaospaw asked me to catch some last night." Another voice answered, and Razorpaw was surprised to see Leopardpaw pad out from the den. She had an obvious sense of relief about her, happy that her friends were back safe. She sat down beside Chaospaw, who had taken to inspecting his paw pads with an unhappy sigh.

"My pads are cracked. It'll hurt for days…" The black tom grumbled to himself, swiping his tongue over his paws.

"You should see Shimmerpool. I'm sure she could help" Leopardpaw offered.

"And tell her what; that my pads are sore from running around MountainClan all night?" Chaospaw snapped, seemingly cranky with the lack of sleep. Razorpaw had to force back a purr to stop his own fur being clawed off by the irritated black tom.

Leopardpaw huffed, "Fine. Stay in pain" She retorted, "But you two owe me an explanation, don't you think?"

Chaospaw stopped mid-lick, and he and Razorpaw shared a quick glance.

"I want to know everything" Leopardpaw demanded. Her eyes glittered with determination – she wasn't going to leave it alone this time.

"Where do we start…" Razorpaw didn't know how much more unexpected revelations he could take. Maybe sharing it with Leopardpaw wouldn't be so bad; one more cat to talk to it about, he figured.

"Not here" Chaospaw warned, "We'll leave camp later. Razorpaw, you can bring Stingpaw and Silentpaw if you want."

"R-Right…" The silver apprentice wasn't too sure about how that would work out.

"Another thing" Chaospaw was about to leave when he seemed to remember something, "Don't tell anyone if you can help it" He spoke to them both, but mostly to Razorpaw, "Everything we know up to know are just pieces to a puzzle. But if it starts to look bad, only then do we involve the warriors."

Leopardpaw seemed somewhat confused by the statement, but nodded anyway, supposedly reasoning that she would have a better idea when they met later. Razorpaw agreed with his friend, figuring that the warriors wouldn't take too kindly to them sneaking off the MoonFalls; despite with the things they had learnt. He watched Leopardpaw scamper over to the Medicine Cat's den as Thunderclaw emerged, the wound on his leg healed for the most part. She brushed her muzzle against her father's golden pelt, before dashing over to the fresh kill pile to get him something to eat.

"You should get some sleep" Chaospaw announced, nudging Razorpaw towards the den.

"What about you?"

"I have to take these to the elders."

Chaospaw headed off with the three mice in his jaws before Razorpaw could offer to help. He watched the other apprentice until he vanished into the elders den, before himself pushing into his den on collapsing into his nest.

He was asleep before he knew it.


	23. Explanations, Again

**Chapter 23: Explanations, Again**

Razorpaw found himself following absent-mindedly at the back of the line, tired eyes down gazing at the ground, muscles still aching from last night's long trip to the MoonFalls. His paws felt like heavy stones and it took a lot of effort just to keep trudging forward. He had slept somewhat after he had returned, but his little sleep was disturbed by voices and strange images, none of which he could recall clearly. He wasn't aware of how well Chaospaw had slept, if at all. The black tom seemed to have something on his mind since sleeping at the MoonFalls. Maybe he was disappointed that he didn't dream; but that didn't sound like the usual Chaospaw at all. They both knew something was happening that StarClan had no say over, but just how big they had no idea. So they had agreed to share what they knew with those closest to them.

Chaospaw, who had been leading the line towards the TwistedTree – the only place where the JungleClan border met with both the OceanClan border and the DesertClan border – finally stopped when the group came up to the huge, gnarled tree, looming over them all with a slightly haunted feel. The TwistedTree, given its name for the massive twisted roots poking from the ground, was by far the largest tree on the coast. It rested on a ledge of earth only about five tail-lengths high, so that some of the roots dangled over the edge and spiraled downwards, planting themselves in the earth below. Apparently the tree originally belonged to DesertClan, however after many battles the tree ended up on JungleClan's side of the border. While there had been no recent fights for it, Cheetahstar had once or twice mentioned that DesertClan wouldn't give up the tree so easily.

As the five apprentices made themselves comfortable near the twisted roots, Razorpaw surveyed each of the cats sat with him. Leopardpaw had settled down on the grass, waiting intently to learn what the two toms' had been hiding from her. She didn't seem agitated, merely expectant. Silentpaw, however, sat beside her with an unreadable expression. The white she-cat hadn't stayed around Stingpaw since the black and silver apprentice's furious outburst yesterday. Instead, she had hung around Vaporsoul as much as possible, but when their mother wasn't around she had stayed with Leopardpaw, seemingly loathing the thought of being alone. Razorpaw didn't know exactly what was going through his sister's head, but he knew the rift between the littermates had hurt her more than he could really understand. Maybe now, he had a chance to clear things up a bit.

Stingpaw, however, sitting upon a root and fumbling irritably with a burr in his pelt, looked the least interested in being here. He paid no attention to Razorpaw whatsoever, grumbling only to himself about how far away from camp they had come and how the burr in his pelt was annoying his tail off. He had snapped at Chaospaw on the way here, questioning why they were heading so far from camp when they had little to talk about (He seemed to refuse that what Razorpaw and Chaospaw were going to tell him would be in the least bit important) but Chaospaw, still tired and obviously not in the mood, had told him to stuff a mouse in it before he alerted all the cats on the territory. Stingpaw had continued grumbling afterwards, however.

"Right" Chaospaw sighed; sat on a root too, "Now that we're here and we've all stopped complaining, I suppose we should start from the beginning" He ignored the cold glare from Stingpaw, and beckoned Razorpaw to sit on the root with him. As the silver apprentice jumped the small distance to the massive, distorted roots, Chaospaw looked down slightly, "Then again, I'm not sure where the beginning was…"

"Two days before we were apprenticed" Razorpaw thought he would never forget that night, when he sat alone of the FallRock, simply watching the stars when he felt so lonely himself. He had wished for guidence from the stars, for them to be closer to him – but little did he expect one would fall on him.

"You tell it then" Chaospaw moved back across the root, "I suppose it's your story."

Sat on the huge root, looking down at his three friends, Razorpaw imagined this is what it felt like as a leader, sitting on the HighCliff at the gathering beach. Razorpaw had never been to a gathering, of course, but Flamepaw had boasted about going enough times for Razorpaw to pick things up. He couldn't imagine all those cats milling around the beach, all manner of pelts, eyes and scents all in one place. The idea just seemed so strange.

Feeling like his mind was wandering; Razorpaw took a deep breath to clear his thoughts. Again, feeling lost for a way to explain, he went for the straightforward explanation that he had used with Chaospaw.

"A couple of nights before the day we were apprenticed, I was hit by a star."

Razorpaw hadn't planned to do all the speaking. He usually felt better to leave the talking to Chaospaw. But his mind just ran through all the events, from the initial impact of the star, to discovering the strange circumstances of Wildstripe's death and searching for that trail of blood, to sneaking up to the MoonFalls, blacking out on the way, talking to Embersoul, everything. He told them everything he knew, from the things that he had done to even the things cats had said to him during the events. He wanted them to have the clearest picture possible, so that maybe his relations with his littermates and friends could become like they used to, when they were kits.

Chaospaw touched up on the parts Razorpaw had missed out, such as the dark figure of the cat they saw in MountainClan just before Razorpaw had passed out, and the way Shimmerpool had acted just before the Medicine Cats had left the MoonFalls. Also, he pointed out something that he hadn't even mentioned to Razorpaw.

"When we came back last night, we used that hole in the barrier we used to sneak out that time when we were kits" He started, referring to the gap behind the Nursery, "But I noticed a strange scent on the leaves. Not something I've ever picked up before…"

Leopardpaw, who had been listening intently throughout, was quick to ask questions. "Do you think someone else is using that entrance?" She spoke quickly, wanting to know even the things they didn't.

"I don't know for sure. If it was some kind of other animal, I'm sure somebody would've noticed…Then again, I can't see a rogue simply padding into camp without an uproar. Most likely it's another cat from camp."

Stingpaw snorted, "Remember, I said I saw Nightraven leave that way the first time we used it" He sounded rather defiant, as if undermining Chaospaw. If the black tom noticed, he didn't react, either too tired or he didn't find it worth the effort.

"But we never covered our scents when we used that entrance. Surely Nightraven would've noticed?" Leopardpaw chipped in, before the group fell silent. A slight breeze blew through, strangely not from the ocean this time, but from the south.

_Nightraven may still use that entrance…But what for? And he had to have noticed our scents…How could he not…?_

He looked to Chaospaw to see what he thought, but the black tom's chestnut-red eyes had narrowed down to slits, and he was gazing somewhere behind him. Looking around, he saw Leopardpaw staring in the same direction. He glanced over that way too, looking to see what they had seen.

"I know you're there…" Chaospaw mewed with a faint sigh, "Stop hiding."

For a moment, nothing happened. Stingpaw and Silentpaw were now looking in the same direction as the rest of them. As the five cats watched, a lithe figure slipped out from below the dip in the earth. Chaospaw and Leopardpaw had caught her scent when the breeze blew, while Razorpaw, too deep in thought, had missed it. Trust the two best hunters in the group to catch a cat with one scent.

"Moonpaw…?"

Really, Razorpaw never expected to find that the silver she-cat had followed them. To tell the truth, he had never really paid too much attention to the other apprentices. He had been so wrapped up in his own adventures that he rarely thought about what the other apprentices got up to when they weren't patrolling or training. Maybe he should start paying more attention to the things going on around him, he noted.

"So how much of that did you hear?" Chaospaw asked in an exasperated tone. Having one more of them know may not cause any harm, but the black apprentice had been right when he said the less cats that knew the better.

"All of it…" Moonpaw didn't sound like she felt guilty for spying on them, or afraid that she'd been caught. She sounded more…Interested?

"I thought you were up to something…" She confessed, but seemed happy to be right with her own assumptions. "You two weren't in your nests last night" She started, presumably referring to Razorpaw and Chaospaw, "And I overheard your…Conversation with Stingpaw before that."

By 'conversation' she probably meant when Razorpaw had gone to explain to his littermates but Stingpaw had refused to believe him. He recalled his brother had thought he and Chaospaw were 'up to something' and if Moonpaw had heard that and then found their nests empty at night, she had right to be suspicious.

"Is it true…?" The silver she-cat asked, staring up at Chaospaw, "Is it all…"

"True" The black tom agreed, "Unfortunately, I must say. We've come to a bit of a dead end since we returned from the MoonFalls. Since StarClan have no idea what's going on, they couldn't help us with what to do next…"

"The prophecy!" Razorpaw suddenly remembered what had driven him to go to the MoonFalls in the first place, "The first part said about the 'highest sky', so the next part is-"

"I know about that" Chaospaw cut him off, "But whereas the 'highest sky' was easy to interpret, I have no idea about the lowest point on the coast. It could be anywhere."

Razorpaw thought he had come onto something good when he remembered the prophecy, but it seemed his great idea had already passed through his friend's mind. _He really is always one step ahead…_

"Needless to say, if Razorpaw's prophecy _is_ meant to help us, then 'lowest ground' is certainly where we should be going next. However, like I said, I have no idea where this point is. So, for the meantime, there isn't much we can do."

There was another short silence between the six apprentices. The sun was almost setting, the sky turning a brilliant orangey-pink, the clouds thinning out into fluffy wisps. The breeze was growing stronger, buffeting the leaves and the pelts of the cats sat beneath the TwistedTree. The giant tree's leaves grumbled in the wind, much louder than Razorpaw had expected they would.

"We should still look…" Leopardpaw meowed when it seemed everyone else had no ideas. She stood up determinedly, eyes flashing from the light of the sunset, "If everything you said really is true, then we have no choice!"

Chaospaw considered this for a moment, and then nodded. "Since the land sloped upwards to the north, the most logical place to start is near the border with the Twolegplace to the south. But there may be underground caverns and tunnels, which will be a bit of a problem if they're inaccessible. But for the sake of keeping up morale, I'm ruling that out for now." He stood up from the root with a large yawn, "I take it you'll want to help, Moonpaw?"

"Of course!" The silver apprentice responded with the same enthusiasm as Leopardpaw. Despite the fact that she would be a warrior in a few moons, Razorpaw couldn't help but feel happy that they had one more cat to count on.

But of course, one cat didn't want anything to do with it.

"You can go cave-hunting by yourselves!" Stingpaw huffed, leaping down from his spot on the root, "This is ridiculous! Falling stars? Strange cats? You all sound like you have bees in your brains!"

Chaospaw rolled his eyes, "I have to say, I did see this coming…"

Stingpaw snorted at him, "Of course you would, _you_ know everything, don't you?" He growled, drawing only another exasperated sigh from the black apprentice, "Stars don't just _fall_ out of the sky, for StarClan's sake!"

"So you think Razorpaw is lying?" Chaospaw mewed evenly, still stood high on the root. The other four watched, Razorpaw feeling that horrible ache in his stomach that reminded him of the rift between him and his brother.

"Of course he is" Stingpaw muttered, casting an icy glare at Razorpaw, "You just want the attention, don't you?" He accused, stalking forward, "Sure, you may have gone to the MoonFalls, but I doubt it was to ask about some imaginary star that you probably dreamed about."

"But…Embersoul told me that it wasn't a dream!" Razorpaw blurted out in a desperate effort to persuade his brother. But he knew no matter what he said just wouldn't be enough.

"Embersoul? Oh, that supposed StarClan cat you had a chat with? What if you were only seeing what you wanted to see?"

Razorpaw really didn't know what to say. He _knew_ StarClan had talked to him because he _knew_ the star had really fallen on him. But there was no way he could prove it. No way he could let Stingpaw see the events for himself. Chaospaw believed him. Leopardpaw and Moonpaw and presumably Silentpaw believed him. They all did so out of trust. But he had lost the trust of his brother. And now Razorpaw was beginning to wonder if he'd ever have that trust back.

"If you don't want to help…" Razorpaw choked out at last, "…Then don't. But please…Don't tell anyone about this…"

His brother seemed to consider this for a moment. Razorpaw was staring at the grass, hoping that the least his brother could do was keep his mouth shut to the rest of the clan.

He heard pawsteps pass him, and then his brother's voice, "Why would I tell them?" He grumbled as he stalked off, "They'd think I was as deluded as you!"


	24. The Gathering

**AN: Wow. This blows my record for longest chapter. I don't even know why it turned out so long, it just did, and I wanted the readers to get the right idea. x3 **

**Chapter 24: The Gathering**

Over half a moon passed. Since the return from the MoonFalls, the five apprentices had used their spare time searching for – well, none of them really knew what exactly it was they were looking for, but they searched regardless, for something that might have given them a clue of what to do next. None of them had uncovered anything significant, but none had wanted to give up yet. Thunderclaw had made a full recovery, and had taken over as Chaospaw's mentor, but apart from that, the time had been pretty uneventful compared to the first quarter moon of apprenticeship.

And then came the night of the full moon. The night of the Gathering.

Razorpaw sat between Silentpaw and Moonpaw as he chewed somewhat distantly on his mouse. He wanted to go to the gathering – of course he did, every apprentice did – but he could never forget the horrifying outcome of the last gathering, when the returning JungleClan patrol had been attacked and Wildstripe killed. Despite that, the chances of the rogues attacking again on the same night were slim. Some cats already believed the rogues were gone for good, after there had been no sight of scent of them for a while. Razorpaw couldn't help but think they were still around, where he didn't know, but he just didn't see them coordinating an ambush that well and then leaving the clan alone. Chaospaw had also agreed on this, but was wary of going to the gathering. They both knew that they were probably both going, seeing as it would be their first time, but Chaospaw, given the chance, would've opted out.

"It can sometimes be scary the first time" Wolfstreak had sat with the apprentices to eat, looking about three times as big as the rest of them, "But it's a good chance to talk to cats that live differently to us. As long as you don't give away any valuable information, you can talk about anything."

"What are the other leaders like?" Leopardpaw enquired, finishing the last of her squirrel.

Moonpaw, who had been to gatherings before, snickered, "Swiftstar, the OceanClan leader, he's such a show off!" She purred, "I remember he once he tried to jump up two boulders at once to get to the HighCliff, but he didn't make it and almost fell right back down again!"

"We'll, I suppose that's to be expected from OceanClan" Stingpaw grumbled, sat between Wolfstreak and Chaospaw, "All talk."

"Be careful what you assume" Wolfstreak flicked the apprentice with his tail tip, "The deputy, Lightstripe, is a very fierce warrior. There was once a rumor about how he fought off three MountainClan cats that had crossed the border all by himself. MountainClan denied it of course, but who knows?"

"The MountainClan leader, Acidstar, is very old. But she's well respected, any very wise. She'll retire soon, she said so herself, leaving the clan to Poisontail, the deputy. But he's a good cat, so that's alright" Wolfstreak continued with the full attention of the apprentices, "But there was a time when Poisontail became very ill, and he had to step down for a while. Duskglow took his place as deputy then."

Razorpaw and Chaospaw shared a glance – Duskglow was the cat who had been guarding the entrance to the MoonFalls when the two had travelled up there. Not that they would mention it, of course.

"Because most cats thought Poisontail wouldn't make it, Duskglow seemed to think he'd definitely become leader one day. But Poisontail got better, and apparently Duskglow wasn't too happy when he lost his position as deputy."

"Who wouldn't?" Cinderpaw mewed.

"And then there's DesertClan" Wolfstreak had to think a little about this one, "They're a pretty secluded clan. The leader, Mudstar, doesn't say much. But he always seems on edge about something, like he's paranoid. Dragonclaw, the deputy, sometimes takes his place at Gatherings when Mudstar doesn't come along for some reason or another. But Dragonclaw's very smart and the leaders respect him anyway."

Razorpaw didn't think it was aloud for a deputy to stand in as a leader, but it made sense if there was no leader there to address the clans. Although, he'd never heard of Darkheart stepping in for Cheetahstar.

"Well what do we have here?" Honeyfur trotted over to where the group was sat, "You've got them all listening like kit's to elder's tales!" She exclaimed, sitting down herself in the circle.

"Since there're no kits, I'll have to make do with this lot" Wolfstreak joked, "But I'm no elder, and don't plan to be for a while."

"Of course, the Clan still needs you" Honeyfur meowed sincerely, and then turned her attention to the apprentices, "Cheetahstar's made preparations. Leopardpaw, Chaospaw, Razorpaw, Stingpaw, Silentpaw and Flamepaw are going to the gathering."

Razorpaw looked from his littermates, to Chaospaw and Leopardpaw, and then to the older apprentices. He would've guessed Stingpaw wanted to go, although he did his best not to show it. Silentpaw seemed happy, although again, maybe she too was trying to hide her true feelings about it. Chaospaw, as expected, had his usual neutral mood about it, while Leopardpaw jumped to her paws in excitement. Moonpaw, Cinderpaw and Rainpaw didn't seem too disappointed about being left out. Flamepaw just looked slightly bored.

When it was time to go, the warriors formed the front of the line while the apprentices kept to the back and the two elders in with the warriors. At the very front stood Cheetahstar, Darkheart beside her. After them were Nightraven, Thunderclaw, Wolfstreak, Lionfrost, Sparrowflight, Snowpelt, Amberleaf, Tawnypelt, Vaporsoul, and Shimmerpool. Following on were the apprentices; Flamepaw, Ghostpaw, Chaospaw, Razorpaw, Stingpaw, Silentpaw and Leopardpaw. The sun had set, leaving the cloudless sky a deep blue. The first glitter of the stars were beginning to show, signaling the time for the time to leave.

"You excited?" Chaospaw asked, tone indicating that he clearly wasn't.

"A little bit" Razorpaw confessed, "Something new, right?"

The black tom shrugged, "I could do with a few less new things to worry about." Razorpaw knew what he was talking about. He wondered just how often Chaospaw thought about the rogues and the MoonFalls and the falling star. How clear an idea he had on the situation, how many steps he had planned ahead.

As the line filed through the entrance log and sped out into the forest, Ghostpaw looked behind to the other apprentices.

"The Gathering Beach is on the border between DesertClan and OceanClan. We have to travel up to the border with OceanClan, cross the stepping stones into their territory, and then cross an old bridge into DesertClan" He informed with a nod of his head.

"Don't the other Clans mind?" Razorpaw asked; he knew borders must be crossed to reach the beach, but he never thought about how the other clans felt about it.

"Not really" Ghostpaw skillfully swerved past a tree, and while Razorpaw didn't see much of the apprentice Medicine Cat, he knew that Ghostpaw had been training for about as long as Moonpaw, which meant he had considerably more experience than he did. He wondered what it was like to be a Medicine Cat, bearing so much responsibility for the clan. While there was always at least a group of warriors, there were only ever up to two Medicine Cats in a clan, one an apprentice at that. The pressure to do well, although unspoken, must be great.

Crossing JungleClan was easy, even without the sunlight. The patrol soon reached the river, and proceeded to follow the river up to the stepping stones. One by one, each cat hopped over, all of them having crossed the stepping stones on JungleClan's part of the river many times before. Once over, the ground immediately felt soggy and unstable beneath the paws of the cats who had never set foot here before. The grass, although silky smooth, only partially covered the slimy mud beneath it.

"They aren't kidding when they say OceanClan's just one big swamp" Chaospaw grumbled, pulling a muddy paw out of the muck.

"OceanClan's territory is covered with little streams and rivers. As such, the ground's never really dry" Ghostpaw mewed, keeping with the newer apprentices. Flamepaw, who was ahead of the group, grumbled something along the lines of the newbies being useless at something or other, while easily making it through. Eventually, after what seemed like an age of sinking and pulling out muddy paws, the group reached a small wooden platform that crossed the larger part of the river.

"Is this thing a bridge?" Chaospaw asked, glancing at Ghostpaw. The grey tom nodded.

"The twolegs built them ages ago, according to Tawnypelt. But twolegs don't come here anymore, so it's safe."

Razorpaw had heard the same thing. Apparently JungleClan was the only one of the four clans not to have one of these twoleg bridge things. However, it stopped them having to swim, which most of them couldn't do anyway.

DesertClan next. It was a complete contrast to the damp, swamp-like OceanClan. The ground was rock solid, made of hard, rugged stone. It seemed to go on until the ground would drop away to the ocean, which Razorpaw could hear clearly with hardly any trees blocking the way. Grass spurted up across the grounds, but the grass was hard and scraggly, nothing like the soft grass of JungleClan or OceanClan. The way the larger rocks cast shadows on the ground reminded his of MountainClan, although the boulders weren't quite so big here.

"What do these cats use as nests?" He heard Stingpaw ask from somewhere behind.

"Feathers" Ghostpaw chipped in, keen to answer any enquires, "There are a lot of birds who nest on the cliffs, so there're usually feathers floating around everywhere."

Razorpaw and Chaospaw shared a glance. It seemed neither of them could see birds living anywhere but trees. However, they trusted Ghostpaw to be telling the truth, so they kept quiet and pushed on. The territory seemed to look the same no matter how much ground they crossed. Rocky floor, a few grassy patched here and there, a tree, some stones. As he padded along, Razorpaw began to wonder what kind of prey – or cats – could even live here.

Eventually, the ground became loss rocky, replaced instead by a layer of soft sand. Sounds of various other cats and a mixture of strange scents carried along with the wind. Razorpaw was at first wary of these new scents, but they didn't seem as daunting as he had expected. He recognized the scent of MountainClan from when he had been on their territory, and the familiar scent of OceanClan that would drift across the river with a southern breeze. The ground sloped upwards, although only slightly, and then dropped down to reveal a stunning, curved beach cove, filled with cats all shapes and colours. As he stood there, on top of the sandy slope, gazing across the wide stretch of sand and the black ocean water, he felt something. Something he was becoming increasingly aware of.

He couldn't really describe it, apart from the tingling in his pelt, the ways his paws would itch. Several times before it had happened, he had felt it, this feeling. Maybe it was him, or some kind of anticipation he hadn't realized he had, or something else. He couldn't rule out anything yet. Not at least until he had followed some more of his Prophecy's instructions.

He padded carefully down the slope, Chaospaw and Silentpaw behind him, placing each paw carefully as the sand slipped from beneath his paws. Some warriors bounded down without worry, sliding with the sand, but Razorpaw wasn't about to go flailing down a hill on his first gathering. Slowly, he picked his way to the bottom, feeling silently relieved when his paws hit the harder packed sand on the beach. He waited for Chaospaw and Silentpaw to join him at the bottom, and then followed Chaospaw's lead when the black tom nudged him.

"Where are we going?" He whispered, glancing back to make sure Silentpaw was following. He wouldn't leave her alone here, he had told himself.

"Nearer the water" Chaospaw instructed, "We'll get a better view of the HighCliff."

The three apprentices weaved through the groups of gathered cats, talking, boasting, and sharing stories. Vaguely Razorpaw spotted Amberleaf and Tawnypelt immersed in conversation with a silver cat, and Wolfstreak sat beside a large black-striped ginger tom, which almost rivaled the huge warrior in size.

Chaospaw stopped when he was close enough to the water, but not so close that they would leave with drenched paws. Razorpaw looked out across the ocean, at the bright white moon and it's equally bright reflection. He had never seen so much water in one place before. Did it go on forever? Could an OceanClan cat swim in that? He certainly didn't want to.

To the left of the water, was an outcropping rock jutting out from the cliff face. An uneven stone, with many crags and cracks, but wide enough to form a suitable place for the leader to sit. From the earlier descriptions, Razorpaw was able to identify each leader; Swiftstar on the far left, the thin white tom casting a confident gaze over the beach. Next to him was Acidstar, the old MountainClan leader. The glow of the moon highlighted the multitude of white hairs surrounding her muzzle, but she sat with equal confidence as Swiftstar, however instead of surveying the beach, she gazed out at the ocean, as if searching for something in the darkness. On her right must've been Mudstar, the twitchy, bulky brown tom, kneading his paws into the stone and glancing in different directions every heartbeat. Cheetahstar bounded up the boulders beside the cliff, on some of which sat other cats, at set herself beside Mudstar. Acidstar had moved over a little, but closer to Mudstar, seemingly asking if the MountainClan leader was okay.

"Aren't we supposed to be talking to other cats?" Razorpaw questioned when Swiftstar too joined Acidstar, and the leaders didn't look like they'd be starting yet.

"I suppose" Chaospaw sighed, looking across the sand at all the cats milling around the beach. He stood up without a word, presuming Razorpaw and Silentpaw would follow, and padded over to the closest group of apprentices he could find. There were four cats sat close to the water, gazing out across the black ocean as Acidstar had done. Even as he got closer, Razorpaw couldn't tell where the vast expanse of water ended and the sky began. It was actually a little scary.

"My sister's no better." The cat on the far side of the line, a gray-black tom, let out a small sigh. Chaospaw's ears pricked slightly, and he made his way over, Razorpaw and Silentpaw following.

"Did they find out what was wrong with her?" The golden she-cat beside him asked, keeping her voice quiet, "Will she get better eventually?"

To Razorpaw's surprise, the tom just snorted, "I don't think so. She's delusional, crazy even. Worse than Mudstar, I'm not holding out much hope."

"That's a little harsh." A ginger-brown tom, the third in the line, mewed across to the other tom.

"No, really. At first, I was scared for her. I wanted to think she'd get better. But after a while, the things she said just got annoying. It was like she made up all sorts of things in her head, and would do anything to get some cat to believe her. But the things she came out with…"

The gray tom stopped and turned his head slightly as he caught scent of the JungleClan cats approaching. Chaospaw dipped his head slightly, "We just overheard your story. I hope your sister gets better." He meowed politely.

"JungleClan? So they're here, at last" The ginger-brown tom yawned, "Took you long enough."

"You could be a bit more polite, Robinpaw." The tom at the other end of the line grumbled, "You know JungleClan are furthest from the beach."

"Whatever." Came the short dismissal.

They gray tom Chaospaw had addressed dipped his head, "Thanks for the concern. I'm Grasspaw, from DesertClan."

The she-cat next to him dipped her head too, "Maplepaw, from OceanClan."

"Robinpaw, MountainClan."

"Shadowpaw, from OceanClan."

"I'm Chaospaw." The black tom sat beside Grasspaw, and joined them in gazing across the ocean.

"I'm Razorpaw" The silver tom announced, although something inside him just didn't feel right, talking so freely with cats from other clans, "And this is my sister Silentpaw."

"No offense, but you have strange names…" Maplepaw confessed quietly. Razor initially didn't know how to react to the statement, but he let it pass. She had said she wasn't being offensive, so he guessed it was okay.

"So what exactly is wrong with your sister?" Chaospaw queried to the DesertClan tom. Grasspaw sighed, shutting his eyes for a moment before answering.

"Just over a moon ago, I woke up one morning and found that Lynxpaw, my sister, was gone. She wasn't in her nest. I found her outside, asleep in the middle of camp. Only, she didn't wake up when I called to her. That's when I got worried, so I got Brackenshine to take a look at her. At first he seemed worried too, but she woke up after a while…"

Razorpaw felt cold. It wasn't the night or the darkness or anything like that. His paws once again felt like stones, cold and frozen to the sand, unable to move. He could've sworn his heart rate was growing faster. His tail was tight around his paws. His fur was flat, although beginning to rise.

Why did this story sound so sickeningly familiar?

"She started talking about this field where another cat tried to talk to her, but she insisted that the cat was on fire, or something ridiculous like that…"

The beach. The cat with the flickering pelt, like lightning. The way this strange cat couldn't convey any words to him.

"Then she went on about a rhyme she'd made up, she'd repeat it over and over in her sleep…"

The Prophecy. It had to be. There was no way it was coincidence. Lynxpaw had been through the same experience that he had. All he did now was wait for those inevitable words.

"But the weirdest thing by far was when Mudstar asked her why she had slept outside. She claimed she hadn't intended to, but…"

_But…_

"She said she was hit by a star."


	25. Revelations

**Chapter 25: Revelations**

_She said she was hit by a star._

She had, no doubt about it. Everything the DesertClan she-cat had said was completely true, but no cat would believe her. It was only to be expected, really. Cheetahstar hadn't believed him when he had come out with the same story in the first place, on that night about a moon ago. She's sworn him to silence and told him he'd dreamed the entire thing. But now things were different. If he'd had any doubts before, they were gone now. Vanished. Lynxpaw had been through it too. But she'd been ridiculed for trying to persuade her clanmates that it was the truth. Would the same thing have happened to Razorpaw if Cheetahstar hadn't told him to keep quiet? Would he be labeled crazy and confined to camp for his stories?

Probably.

The more he thought about it, the more logical it seemed. He had watched the star split into four separate parts as it blazed through the night sky. Why should he have been the only one hit by it? Four parts – maybe four different cats had been through the same thing. He and Lynxpaw. Two others. Maybe not – the star didn't necessarily have to hit a cat, or did it? He couldn't ask StarClan. They had no clue about any of this. The Dark Forest cats too, but Razorpaw doubted they'd be of any help anyway.

Who else could help them? The Clan cats didn't believe them. That was obvious from the way DesertClan had reacted to Lynxpaw. From JungleClan, only Cheetahstar, Shimmerpool and a group of apprentices even knew about the situation. Cheetahstar had dismissed the idea. Shimmerpool had too, although in a much more comforting way. But that still left them with no help at all.

There were no other cats on the coast. No cats apart from…

No. Impossible. There was absolutely no way that a group of rogues could know about this. They had about as much interest in the stars as the worms did. And yet the time of their arrival and the time of the falling star had been close. Within a day or two, probably. But how could they even know…?

He heard a faint sigh as he broke through the whirlpool of thoughts, snapping him back to reality. He realized he had gone completely rigid, keeping so still he wondered if he'd still be able to move. He flexed his claws slightly, testing how naturally he could still move while his heart was beating at a mile a minute.

"Mudstar talks to her a lot now. Asks her about what she thinks happened. But everyone knows he does it to make her feel less alone. Everyone knows he doesn't really believe her." Grasspaw finished, glancing at Chaospaw, "Sound's crazy, right?"

"Sure does." Chaospaw replied, the only notable difference about him was the very slight narrowing of his eyes. He had taken it all in and still managed to act completely normal. Unbelievable.

"I think it's quite sad." Maplepaw admitted with a shuffle of paws, "When somebody close to you changes so suddenly like that…"

Razorpaw wrenched his head sideways, probably looking a little awkward despite his best efforts to move normally. Silentpaw was sat just behind Maplepaw, and she too looked a little shaken. She'd heard the whole thing as well.

"Does she stay in camp all the time?" Chaospaw asked casually, "Personally, I think she'd do better if she was allowed to get out a bit. Might help."

"Mudstar says she can leave camp when she starts eating properly. The whole thing's taken its effect physically, too."

So Lynxpaw wasn't eating right, and she wasn't allowed outside of her camp. Plus when she was, it would only be under the watch of warriors most probably. There wasn't any easy way to get to her. No easy way to see what she knew. No way to help her out.

He just barely noticed, but the chattering and conversations of the cats on the beach was growing fainter. Razorpaw looked around, his neck aching as he did, but cast his gaze to the HighCliff where the four leaders stood, ready to begin.

"I will speak first!" Swiftstar padded forward until he was at the edge of the outcropping rock, claws sliding over the edge, "OceanClan has had a mostly peaceful moon. The rivers are rich with prey and the clan is growing well."

_But are you harboring rogues on your territory, Swiftstar?_ Razorpaw could imagine the question flicking through the minds of every JungleClan cat on the sand. While he could see a few of his clanmates across the beach, none of them were reacting in any way.

"Unfortunately, one of our elders, Dewleaf, passed away earlier this moon. He will be missed amongst the clan and may he live on peacefully in the stars."

With that, the white tom stepped back, allowing Acidstar to take his place. The old she cat padded forward slowly, sitting at the edge of the stone as Swiftstar had done.

"First of all, MountainClan would like to congratulate our two newest apprentices, Shadepaw and Pantherpaw. However, neither of them could make it tonight" She continued before anyone could question the matter, and Razorpaw vaguely remembered how Flowerheart had said Shadepaw had been attacked by an eagle while they were in the mountains, "And we are sad to announce the death of a great warrior, Hazelfoot, who was also taken from us this moon. We wish him peace and happiness in the stars."

She dipped her head a moment and looked like she was about to move back, but carried on after a heartbeat, "There is one more thing I would like to discuss."

Razorpaw noticed a few MountainClan warriors shift a little. They knew what she was about to say.

"I am making no accusations yet, but finding JungleClan scent on our territory does not bode well for your cats, Cheetahstar." The MountainClan leader meowed calmly, shifting her gaze to the golden spotted leader, who looked a little confused, "I am not inclined to share with you what I am thinking, but I warn you that any cat who steps foot on our territory, with or without your consent, will be punished."

At first, Razorpaw was confused too. JungleClan cats on MountainClan territory? He couldn't recall any…

…

He cast a sideways glance at Chaospaw, who now looked a little tense. Of course he would. Razorpaw was too. He wished he could just sink into the sand at this very moment, even though no cats suspected them of anything.

"I assure you Acidstar, no cat has trespassed on my orders" Cheetahstar replied evenly, "May I ask; when exactly did you find the scent?"

"Just after quarter-moon. But my warriors accompanied the Medicine Cats all the way up to the MoonFalls. They confirmed that the Medicine Cats were never at the places we found JungleClan scents." Although very old, it was clear the grey-black MountainClan leader still kept a sharp eye over her clan. She wasn't about to let this drop.

"I see…" Cheetahstar seemed to be weighing out the situation, "I will have to look into it further." She ended while still looking directly at the MountainClan leader. With nothing left to say, the old she-cat dipped her head politely and let the DesertClan leader take her place.

"DesertClan is doing well" Mudstar started, "There has been more than enough prey over greenleaf, but we too have lost a warrior. Volefur now walks amongst the stars and we wish him eternal peace."

Razorpaw couldn't help but note that a warrior from every Clan had died this moon. Dewleaf from OceanClan, Hazelfoot of MountainClan, Volefur from DesertClan and of course, Wildstripe, killed by the rogues exactly a moon ago.

Mudstar hesitated a moment, and his eyes seemed to wander. He stepped back, indicating that he had nothing more to say. Cheetahstar gave him a questioning glance, but the DesertClan leader nodded for her to step forward.

_He didn't even mention Lynxpaw…No, of course he wouldn't. There isn't any point._

"JungleClan has had a prosperous Greenleaf. The forest is full of prey and we have hunted well." She gazed around the beach, and then up to the moon, the silver light reflecting off her sleek pelt. "We are lucky to have five new apprentices this moon. Stingpaw, Chaospaw, Razorpaw, Leopardpaw and Silentpaw."

Razorpaw felt eyes turn on him, and he went from tensed to embarrassed as the crowd cheered his and the other apprentices names. Beside him, Grasspaw, Maplepaw and Shadowpaw called their names with glee, but Robinpaw kept his eyes fixed on the water and his mouth closed. MountainClan, Razorpaw remembered. He probably wouldn't have minded anyway, but the fact that it was him who had trespassed made him forgive the brown apprentice for his silence.

Once the noise had calmed, Cheetahstar continued by announcing Wildstripe's death. "It seems we have all lost clanmates this season. Very early on in the moon, Wildstripe was taken from us. We too wish him well in the stars and hope that he watches over us for all the moons to come."

Momentarily, Razorpaw felt that familiar pang of sadness that echoed through him whenever he thought of his father. But Embersoul had told him he could see the warrior again when the time was right. That had put him at ease a little, but he still often wondered about the strange circumstances surrounding the white warrior's death. That was one mystery he wasn't giving up on.

After Cheetahstar had finished, the leaders left the HighCliff and gathered up their Clans. As the JungleClan cats headed back across DesertClan territory, Chaospaw pulled him to the back of the group where they could talk in relative privacy.

"We have a problem." The black tom stated rather bluntly, dropping back a little more.

"We have more than a problem. We have to talk to Lynxpaw, but that's borderline impossible at the moment." Razorpaw grumbled, trying to think out a plan to meet the 'crazy' DesertClan apprentice without either clan knowing.

"Actually, that wasn't what I meant. But yes. That's a problem too." Chaospaw mewed, "But as you know, I've been trying to decipher your prophecy and I had come to a little conclusion before."

"And that would be?"

"The last line of the second verse, 'Every moon one more will die', I think corresponds to the last line of the first verse, 'Search until the one is found.' I deduced that its meaning was something along the lines of, 'Search for the one, but for every moon spent one will die'."

It took a moment for Razorpaw to grasp the gravity of this revelation, and as much as it shocked him he was determined to be at least helpful to this conversation. "So until we find 'the one', one cat will die per moon from our clan?"

"That's about it. Or so I thought" The last words turned out rather flat, "But now we know you aren't the only one with this prophecy, that changes things. I'm not certain Lynxpaw's _rhyme _says the same as your prophecy, but let's say it does. Then that would apply to her clan as well."

"Four!" Razorpaw gasped suddenly, "A cat from each clan died this moon. You don't think…"

"It seems likely."

There was a short silence.

"A cat from each clan dies every moon. Until 'the one' is found, at least. However, there is a small chance that this is just a coincidence. There may not be a cat in OceanClan or MountainClan with the prophecy like you do." Chaospaw shook his head; he probably didn't believe his own words, but he had to lay out the possibilities.

"I doubt it" Razorpaw added, "I saw the star split into four. If four cats died this moon, that probably means four cats were hit by the star and four cats know about the prophecy. We know me and Lynxpaw. But from the other clans, it could be anyone."

"We'll have to tell the others tomorrow." Chaospaw murmured as they crossed the twoleg's bridge into OceanClan territory. By 'others' he probably meant the other apprentices. Chaospaw quickened his pace and began to catch up with the group, Razorpaw following.

"What have we got into?" Razorpaw thought aloud as he began the agonizing repeat of sinking and yanking his paws up from the gripping mud once again. Beside him, Chaospaw was doing something similar.

"StarClan knows…" He answered, and then let out an almost inaudible purr.

"Oh, wait – they don't."


	26. Four

**Chapter 26: Four**

Razorpaw didn't sleep well that night. He was only now beginning to realize how big this prophecy really was, how many lives it could potentially ruin. Four cats were dead already. It wasn't even up for debate, the prophecy was behind it. No question. He wasn't even considering coincidence.

He tried to think logically about it, placing the events in simple order. He had first heard the prophecy on the night he had been hit by the falling star. He had met a strange cat on a beach in his dreams, but heard nothing the cat had tried to tell him. This cat, whoever it was, had not appeared since. When awake, his leader had sworn him to silence about the matter. The day after, his father had been killed by a group of rogues upon returning from the gathering. About a quarter moon later, he and Chaospaw had travelled up to the MoonFalls to ask StarClan about what had happened.

They knew nothing.

So they decided to share what they had learnt with a few other apprentices. Those who had listened, all besides Stingpaw, had agreed to help. They had been looking for half a moon for the lowest point on the coast, but to no avail.

Another dead end.

The gathering. Grasspaw talking about his sister, Lynxpaw, who had also been hit by a fragment of the falling star. Learning about Lynxpaw's confinement to camp. Acidstar rightfully accusing JungleClan of trespassing. Figuring out that unless they actually did something about all of this, then every moon four more cats would fall prey to the prophecy.

There was so much to consider. The most major, obviously, where did the prophecy come from and what exactly were they looking for? Who are the other two cats who had also been hit by star fragments? What, if anything, did the band of rogues have to do with everything?

And why did it have to be him?

Razorpaw knew he wasn't cut out for this. He couldn't save lives. He'd only been an apprentice for a moon. Always in the middle, not great but not bad, not too this but not too that either. He had no outstanding qualities that made him the prime candidate for receiving a prophecy that even StarClan had no clue about. There were so many other cats in JungleClan that were so much better prepared than he was for this.

And yet he was stuck with it, with only a limited number of cats to confide in. Chaospaw had been the first to know, besides Cheetahstar and Shimmerpool, and had been with him every step. If not for Chaospaw, he would probably still be keeping silent about the whole thing and even pretending it didn't happen at all. Without the black tom's sharp instincts and natural knack for working things out, he didn't think he'd be anywhere.

Leopardpaw too. She and Moonpaw had spent so much of their spare time pondering over the words of the prophecy and searching every mouse-length of the territory to try and help in any way they could. Even Silentpaw had joined the search on occasions.

Stingpaw had been as much help as a dead rat, but Razorpaw only blamed himself for that.

He wondered who else he could tell. Maybe if he could talk to Grasspaw again, try to convince the DesertClan tom that his sister wasn't insane and try to arrange a meeting with them. Or would it be better to get some other JungleClan apprentice's help? Rainpaw and Cinderpaw, maybe? He couldn't see Flamepaw helping. But then, why did it have to be an apprentice? Nightraven would help. The black warrior had been a great mentor over the past moon, teaching the silver apprentice so many valuable skills but always considerate of what Razorpaw wanted. He was so glad he had Nightraven for a mentor. Maybe Nightraven wasn't as noticed as Darkheart, but so what?

He shuffled around in his nest, blinking slowly as some glimmering rays of sunlight snuck through the gaps in the den roof. Yawning, he stretched his legs and his back, stopping to give his fur a quick wash before stepping out of the den and into the morning light of camp. Busy as usual, with Darkheart organizing the patrols, and Cheetahstar talking with Shimmerpool on top of the FallRock. Chaospaw was sat beside Thunderclaw with Flamepaw and Skyhawk, and was joined too by Sparrowflight and Silentpaw. The group left the camp, passing Wolfstreak and Nightraven carrying prey over to the fresh kill pile. Razorpaw made note of his mentor's whereabouts, deciding to find Leopardpaw and Moonpaw first. He could fill them in without Chaospaw, he reasoned.

He found the two she-cats sharing a squirrel beneath an oversized leaf that hung over the barrier. Taking a mouse from the pile, he carried it over to where they were and sat down with them to eat.

"Chaospaw said you'd found something at the gathering" Leopardpaw stated as soon as the silver tom sat, "He would've told us himself, but he had to go on patrol."

"We did…" Razorpaw sighed, and quickly went through what he had overheard last night, about Lynxpaw and what Chaospaw had deduced about the prophecy. He was still desperately trying to think of a way to meet the DesertClan she-cat, but he wasn't about to do anything unless Chaospaw thought it was a good idea. He could only see many things going wrong if he acted by himself.

"So Lynxpaw also knows about it…" Leopardpaw seemed thoughtful, "But if you can't get to her, for now it could be best if you started investigating OceanClan or MountainClan, see if you can find out which cats from those two clans know."

"I don't think that's a good idea…" Moonpaw disagreed, "You said Acidstar accused JungleClan of trespassing, right? If we go sniffing around there right after that, then she would be suspicious of us. And almost all JungleClan cats think that OceanClan are working with rogues. If we get caught over there, it could turn into a full-scale battle."

Leopardpaw seemed to consider the older apprentice's words, but shook her head, "But you saw DesertClan, right?" She directed the question at Razorpaw, "There's no way we could get around their territory without being caught. It's so flat, I'm surprised their prey can't see them coming."

Razorpaw took in both of the she-cats' words, but he still had no better idea of where to go next. As far as he was concerned, it would be best to talk to Lynxpaw before her mentality got any worse, but Leopardpaw had a valid point. However, what Moonpaw had said was true too. MountainClan may have upped the patrols if they thought JungleClan were trespassing on their territory. And while OceanClan seemed like the best bet, wandering around another clan's territory when there was a possibility they had a gang of trained rogues on their side seemed too dangerous to consider right now.

"I don't know." Razorpaw admitted bluntly, "But the longer we leave this, the more cats will die."

Silence followed. It probably wasn't the best thing to say when they had no options, but it was the truth. They had no time to waste. They had no idea what they were looking for, and there were too many things to consider.

"Maybe you should talk to Shimmerpool" Moonpaw mewed suddenly, eyes brightening, "You said she knew about this, right? Maybe she's heard something."

Razorpaw shook his head again, "Shimmerpool didn't believe me to start with, and StarClan don't know what's happening anyway."

"That was a while ago. Maybe something's changed?" Moonpaw shrugged, standing and stepping out from the shadow of the leaf, "I'm just saying, if we're that stuck on options, start here and work your way out."

With that she headed off, over to Wolfstreak who greeted her and lead her out of the entrance log. Razorpaw watched her go until the last of her shining silver pelt had disappeared, wondering if he should really follow her advice and talk to Shimmerpool, or keep Chaospaw's words in mind and keep it so only those who really needed to know knew about it…

"Hello, Razorpaw. Is something the matter?"

He had wandered into the Medicine den, still not completely sure of what to do. Speaking with Shimmerpool didn't seem like a bad idea – she already knew about his star story – but there was still that chance that what he said to her, she could say to Cheetahstar. Razorpaw wasn't ready to get his leader involved just yet, not after she had dismissed him so easily. But Shimmerpool had been more considerate of him, so surely there was no harm in telling her?

"No, nothing, I just wanted to talk with you." He exhaled deeply, glancing around the den and at the Medicine Cat. She beckoned him over to a small pool of water and sat him down next to it.

"What about?" She mewed, sorting through various piles of leaves and roots, eyes concentrated on her work.

"Have StarClan said anything about the rogues?" _Start with that, yes. Typical question of a worried apprentice._

"Nothing." She sighed rather grimly, "I wish they would. I want to put the clan at ease…"

"They haven't even given you a sign to say whether they're really with OceanClan?"

"No." She looked up at him, eyes still shimmering even in the shadow of the den, "Are you worried about it, Razorpaw?"

"…Slightly." He wasn't lying. These rogues had killed his father, killed him and dragged him into a river for some unknown reason. He was worried about meeting them, no doubt. If revenge was in the equation somewhere, he wasn't sensing it just yet.

"I understand" She nodded, shifting another pile of herbs to the side and placing some more to be sorted, "These rogues killed your father, and the way they fought made it looked like they had considerable fighting experience."

A slight shudder ran through the silver tom's body. _What could they possibly want with the clans?_

Shimmerpool dipped her tail tip in the water, and then brought her tail over a leaf and let the water drip onto its green surface, "If they are with OceanClan, then nothing good can come of it. If not, then it is our duty to drive them out…"

Razorpaw thought about facing a team of OceanClan cats helped out by trained rogues. He wouldn't stand a chance and he wasn't afraid to admit it. He could see it now, claws and teeth shining, fur flittering around in torn clumps, blood spraying from vicious wounds. He could see his brother diving into the thick of it, his sister cowering away from it, his friends caught up in the middle of it… If they were going to fight them, they would need help…

…Help?

"…If the rogues really were working with OceanClan, would Cheetahstar do something about it?" Razorpaw asked, although carefully. He wasn't one for boasting, but he had just had a pretty good idea.

"She wouldn't have much choice." Shimmerpool turned away, stuffing leaves into a crack in the rock wall, "OceanClan would've joined the rogues for some reason, most probably to take over another clan. That's not really a threat you can ignore."

"But the rogues would give OceanClan an advantage, unless we got some help."

Shimmerpool stopped to put a single bright red berry down on the ground, before glancing back at him. "It is true that we may struggle, but asking for help…"

"We wouldn't have to ask" Razorpaw insisted, "OceanClan may not want just JungleClan. They could be after DesertClan or MountainClan as well." He kept his eyes on the Medicine Cat, trying to figure out what she was thinking, "MountainClan, I get, right now wouldn't really want to join with us. But maybe we could get DesertClan to help."

The ginger she-cat blinked, eyes narrowing slightly, "Forming an alliance with another clan is not something that can be done in a simple word, Razorpaw. And besides, we're not certain that the rogues are with OceanClan."

"It's just a possibility. I mean, I don't want to lose anyone else to them…" Razorpaw did feel a bit guilty for playing the sympathy act, but he was sure Shimmerpool would understand if she knew the situation. Thankfully, the Medicine cat just touched her nose to his ear and sighed comfortingly.

"I know you don't. I know losing Wildstripe was a big shock to you and your littermates. And I'm sure if it comes to that, then Cheetahstar will consider forming an alliance."

"Thanks." Razorpaw dipped his head to the Medicine cat, "I'm glad I could talk to you!" He called as he backed out of the shadowy den, leaving the ginger cat to her herbs. He glanced up at the sun, and decided now that he knew there was a possibility; he could get some normal clan life done. He picked out Nightraven near the warrior's den, eager for some training and feeling like a new spark was inside him. All he needed now was the proof that the rogues were working with OceanClan. Even if he couldn't get solid proof, maybe if he could just convince Cheetahstar, it would be enough.

_Thanks for the advice, Moonpaw._


	27. The Spark

**Chapter 27: The Spark**

About a quarter moon ago, Razorpaw had talked to the Medicine cat about forming a much needed alliance with DesertClan. When she had told him that given time it may happen, he saw it as a great opportunity to sharpen his skills and live as a normal apprentice for a while, without worrying about prophecies or stars or any of that. He did make sure to keep his senses sharp for anything regarding the prophecy or the rogues, but he didn't find anything significant enough to mention. He found himself enjoying the usually tedious apprentice tasks, gathering moss with Leopardpaw, battle training with Nightraven, going hunting with Chaospaw. He even had time to listen to one of Amberleaf's stories when he had brought some moss for the elders. It seemed like such a long time ago since the five kits would listen intently to the stories of the elders, but in all truth, that was only about three moons ago.

"Right." Wolfstreak came to a stop at the riverbank. The hunting patrol gathered around him consisted of himself and Moonpaw, Nightraven and Razorpaw, and Thunderclaw and Chaospaw. "We'll hunt from here to the Flower Field." He gazed up at the midday sun, with only a few clouds drifting past in the vast blue.

"Why don't we have a little competition?" Thunderclaw suggested, "See who can catch three pieces of prey the fastest. Three teams of mentor and apprentice?"

Wolfstreak nodded in approval of the idea, "Sounds good. Meet back here when the team has the prey."

Razorpaw's paws tingled, but he didn't think that he would win. Although, he did have Nightraven with him. While both Chaospaw and Moonpaw were better hunters than him, he knew both Thunderclaw and Wolfstreak were more suited to fighting. Maybe if he even managed to catch a single piece, Nightraven could catch the other two and they could beat the other four back here. Maybe they did have a chance after all.

"You ready?" The black warrior asked, standing up beside Razorpaw. The silver apprentice nodded, and turned to follow his mentor downriver.

"Good luck!" Moonpaw called after him. Razorpaw flicked his tail in acknowledgement as the other groups headed separate ways.

"I know a really good place to hunt near the Flower Field." Nightraven explained, "If we try there, I think we can win."

"Great!" Razorpaw trotted ahead, following the river to the east. He padded at the edge of the bank, sometimes glancing down into the glimmering, clear blue water. He could smell OceanClan scent on the breeze. The trees still retained their lush green leaves, despite the fact that Greenleaf was nearly over and Leaffall would soon be here.

"Hey, Nightraven…" The silver tom started, still glancing down into the water as he padded along the bank, "What were your apprentice days like?" He was genuinely interested in his mentor's past. All he knew about the black warrior's history was that he had two brothers and a sister, of which only Darkheart still remained.

"My apprenticeship?" Nightraven echoed, "I spent a lot of time doing things I probably shouldn't have…" He mewed with amusement, "I got into all sorts of trouble."

"Like what?" Razorpaw questioned. Surely things couldn't have been as complicated for his mentor than they had been for him.

"Well, Darkheart and I once chased a squirrel into DesertClan territory, because we were competing to see who would catch it first. I almost fell down this hole, but he pushed me out of the way and ended up falling down himself. We got into a lot of trouble for that." The dark warrior purred, "I apologized to him afterwards, but I know he's got a little fear of heights now."

"But he sits on the FallRock all the time?" Razorpaw commented. Nightraven shrugged.

"I don't know. Fear of holes, then."

The way he said it made it seem funny, although he couldn't imagine Darkheart laughing about it. "Sounds like you had fun."

"We did." Nightraven admitted, "But to be honest, I didn't see Darkheart much during my apprenticeship. He was too busy being too good at everything."

"Like Chaospaw." Razorpaw added, although he meant no bad words about his friend.

"Yeah. My other brother, Ravenblaze, got into more trouble than I did. Once he went to the MoonFalls all by himself."

Razorpaw felt his tail twitch a little, but he wasn't about to let his mentor know he'd done almost the same thing. "Wow. That's…"

"'Impressive' was what I told him." Nightraven nodded, "Darkheart wasn't too pleased though. But Darkheart and Nightraven never got along anyway."

"Why not?"

The black warrior was silent for a moment, like he was considering his words. "Darkheart always believed following the warrior code and always trying your best was the way to run a clan. He always wanted to be leader one day, right from when we were kits." Nightraven looked up as the two passed from the grassy bank into the trees, "But Ravenblaze was always trying other things. He thought the code was… A limitation. He was always looking for ways to make a clan stronger, without having to follow such strict rules."

Razorpaw caught the scent of flowers on the breeze, replacing the former OceanClan scents. The ground underpaw was littered with roots and fallen leaves, while newly falling leaves flittered around in the wind.

"I always respected Ravenblaze. He always looked beyond what normal cats would look for. He looked for possibilities that most said didn't exist. I respected the way he thought, even if he didn't always go about it the right way." Nightraven stopped suddenly, causing Razorpaw to jerk to a halt too. He glanced back at his mentor, whose eyes had narrowed down slightly, and his mouth opened to taste the breeze.

"Did you get a scent of the prey?" Razorpaw asked hopefully. He wasn't completely aware of how long the two had spent talking, but he could imagine that both Moonpaw and Chaospaw would've caught something by now.

The black warrior didn't answer at first, just kept his mouth open to identify the scent. After a few more heartbeats, he padded in the direction of the Flower Field and without a word motioned Razorpaw to follow. The silver apprentice dropped in behind, suddenly alert for anything from strange reflections to a shooting star in broad daylight. Hey, he had been told not to rule out anything.

Nightraven stopped behind the last line of trees that signaled the end of the forest and the start of the field. He stealthily picked his way to a broad tree trunk, Razorpaw keeping just behind, and cautiously peered around to gaze into the field.

"They're here." Was all he said.

At first, the words meant nothing to the silver apprentice. He was about to ask, when his gaze landed on a sandy bank on the other side of the river. Old memories surfaced in his mind and he remembered the last time him and his denmates had snuck out when they were kits. It was the bank where he, Chaospaw and Silentpaw had found Stingpaw and Leopardpaw after the two had adamantly gone off by themselves. He remembered sitting there, carefree, wishing for something to change to make clan life seem more exciting. He remembered the time when things weren't so complicated.

He remembered spotting the two rogues on the field.

And he suddenly realized what his mentor was talking about.

"They're here?" He gasped, a sudden panic filling his system.

"On the field" Nightraven hardly seemed bothered, "Four of them."

Razorpaw looked up at his mentor for advice, pushing his paws against the ground to stop himself panicking more than he already was. He didn't think he'd be this afraid of them. He hadn't planned to meet them yet. No, he'd never planned on meeting them. He knew there was a possibility he might run into them someday, but now he was here and they were just across the trees from him, he had no idea what to do. He'd never even been in a proper fight before. Sure he'd done the training, but he knew that was hardly a comparison.

"Go back to camp." His mentor ordered, keeping very still and freezing his stare on the four cats in the field, "Get her to send some help."

He didn't respond right away. It took a moment for the words to penetrate, but as soon as they did, he was off.

He passed trees, leaves, grass, logs, everything. He didn't stop. He hardly felt his paws touch the floor. He didn't know whether it was himself panicking, but it was hard to see the things in front of him. He was moving so fast, or at least his brain was, that it was hard to keep track of the things around him.

One thing he did notice however was the cat he was going to run straight into unless he made a serious detour. But he was running too fast. There was no time to think. No time to work out another rout. Instead, he settled for leaping squarely over his best friend and dashing off again, leaving a very confused and startled Chaospaw behind.

When he barreled into camp, he found it so hard to stop that he tripped over himself, flailing like a kit falling out of the nursery. He landed on his back, dazed slightly, gazing into the sky for a heartbeat, before scrambling to his paws and dashing over to the pool below the FallRock where Cheetahstar sat, talking with Shimmerpool and Darkheart.

"Razorpaw?" The deputy saw him first, narrowing his eyes, "What-"

"The rogues!" The silver apprentice was gasping to breath after his sprint, "On the field!"

"Rogues?" Shimmerpool repeated, eyes wide.

"Darkheart." Cheetahstar was on her feet immediately, "Get Skyhawk, Lionfrost, and whoever else isn't on patrol." She ordered calmly before racing out through the entrance log. Razorpaw watched her go, chest heaving, before he flopped down onto his stomach. Darkheart left right after, with Shimmerpool bounding into her own den to retrieve supplies. He was vaguely aware of Darkheart emerging from the warriors den with Skyhawk, Lionfrost, Honeyfur and Snowpelt. Shimmerpool and Ghostpaw both left the medicine den a moment later, herbs bundled in their jaws. They all left the camp as quickly as possible, leaving Razorpaw beside the pool by himself.

"Razorpaw?" Vaporsoul stuck her head out from the warriors den, "Are you okay?" She trotted over to him and gave him a sniff, obviously aware of what was happening.

"I'm fine" He coughed, but in all truth he was seriously struggling to breathe. He didn't think he'd ever run as fast as he just had. But he also didn't think it would take this much out of him. His throat felt like sand, with a rough stone blocking his airways. He coughed again, hating the stinging sensation that tickled at his throat, and turned around to lap up water from the pool. He never thought water could taste so good.

"I'll guard the entrance." Vaporsoul decided when she assumed Razorpaw would be okay. He heard her footsteps fade, but he didn't feel like moving at all yet.

_Why do I feel so drained? _ Razorpaw couldn't help but feel this was too much. He shouldn't feel like this from a simple sprint. But then again, he'd run from the field at the top of JungleClan territory right down to the camp in what seemed to be very little time. He honestly didn't know he could run so fast. And he honestly didn't feel like he wanted to do it again anytime soon.

The rogues flashed into his mind. There were only four of them, according to Nightraven. Surely with the warriors out there, that shouldn't be a problem. But then he thought of the gathering patrol. The way Chaospaw had described them to have been pushed back by the rogue attackers, only for the assailants to flee. Why? Were they going to do the same now?

As he put his head down on his paws, Razorpaw couldn't help think the inevitable.

'_For every moon, one more will die…'_


	28. Aftermath

**Chapter 28: Aftermath**

A commotion woke him from his dazed sleep. He didn't remember falling asleep beside the pool, but it seemed his fatigue had got the better of him after his sprint from the field back to the camp. His eyes opened a little to see the water cascading into the pool from the FallRock. He could see himself in the rippling surface in the pool – himself and the other silver cat sat next to him.

…

What silver cat sat beside him? He knew very well there was no other cat there. He would've heard the cat's breath or at least noticed him a little. So he kept his eyes on the water. He knew there was a good chance that once he looked away, the reflection would be gone and he wouldn't see it again for a while, so he took his chance to study it. Silver pelt that flickered around the edges, but now he'd seen the StarClan cat Embersoul he knew they were different. Blue eyes much similar to his own. Sat up straight, tail wrapped around his paws as if it were patiently waiting for something. But why was it here at all? What was it expecting of him…?

Razorpaw blinked – he'd been trying to refrain from it but now he couldn't help it – and as he had guessed, the reflection had vanished. Now all that he could see in the water was himself, the sky and the few drifting clouds.

He sat up slowly, muscles aching, and glanced around camp. First he saw Lionfrost and Skyhawk immersed in deep conversation. Darkheart was sat his Shimmerpool and Cheetahstar just beside them. The three seemed to be talking quickly about something, and all of them looked not too pleased.

"Finally awake?" He was surprised to see Flamepaw stood before him, looking at him with an unreadable gaze. The ginger tom, whose ear had been torn in the last battle with the rogues, had another almost identical gash in his other ear. But it didn't seem to bother him at all.

"Did we win?" Razorpaw blinked, "Are the rogues gone?"

"For now…" Flamepaw grumbled, glancing sideways, "But they'll be back. That's for sure."

"What happened?" The silver apprentice almost regretted not being part of the fight. Almost.

"We were ambushed" The ginger tom murmured, "Those four in the field were decoys. They came from across the river when the patrol got to the field."

"From OceanClan…"Razorpaw sighed ruefully, although a part of him saw this as the first step towards his planned alliance. Maybe now Shimmerpool would tell Cheetahstar of his proposal to join with DesertClan, and ultimately get his chance to meet the DesertClan apprentice Lynxpaw.

"Yeah." It wasn't hard to hear the hate in the ginger tom's voice, and he reinforced his emotion with a rough shake of his head. "Anyway, I don't know why you were sleeping, but some cats were hurt. Chaospaw included."

He wasn't sure how it felt to be suddenly dunked into an icy lake, but he was pretty sure it was something like what he was feeling now. Cold, freezing cold, and very hard to breathe.

Flamepaw must have noticed the silver tom's sudden panic, because he added quickly, "It's not serious. Shimmerpool said he'd have a scar, but that's about as bad as it is. Others came out worse."

Razorpaw let out a deep breath, but he still felt a bit stiff. "Thanks, Flamepaw."

"Yeah." The other apprentice turned to walk away, "Just so you know, Nightraven's pretty much okay too. But…"

A short pause.

"…They killed Ghostpaw."

He was off as soon as the words came out. Razorpaw stared after him as he stalked over to his sister Cinderpaw and flopped down beside the she-cat, who pressed her muzzle against his flank and sat beside him. He knew the Medicine cat apprentice had been good friends with Flamepaw, as Moonpaw had told him when he had asked her about her earlier apprentice days.

_Ghostpaw…Is dead?_

"For every moon one more will die…" Razorpaw muttered grimly to himself, shutting his eyes for a moment before pushing himself to his paws. He made his way over to the medicine den and poked his head inside.

Moonpaw and Silentpaw were sat side by side before Shimmerpool, who was hurriedly chewing a mixture of sweet-smelling herbs into a paste. Two nests were laid out at the side of the den, with Chaospaw and Yellowgaze sound asleep amongst them. Yellowgaze had lost a clump of fur behind her ear, and the skin had turned an ugly reddish-pink colour around a still bleeding gash.

"Okay, Silentpaw, could you take this to Lionfrost for me?" Shimmerpool had wrapped the paste up with a leaf and passed it to Silentpaw. The white apprentice picked up the bundle in her jaw, nodded to Razorpaw as she passed, and quickly dashed out of the den and across the camp.

"Oh, Razorpaw…" Moonpaw blinked at him in the darkness, "You're not hurt, are you?"

"No, I'm fine." Razorpaw shook his head. "Are you?"

"I'm fine too" She glanced at the two sleeping cats, and back to Shimmerpool, "I'm helping Shimmerpool take the herbs to the injured cats…" She looked like she didn't know how to explain the fact Ghostpaw was dead.

"I know." He cut in so she didn't have to say it, "I just wanted to see who was hurt."

"Chaospaw will be fine." Shimmerpool mumbled in-between mixing herbs, "He's got a pretty deep slash across his chest. But as long as I can keep infection away, he should recover soon enough."

"Was anyone else badly hurt?" Razorpaw queried, glancing again at Moonpaw just to make sure the she-cat had no injuries. If she was hurt, he'd take over for her.

"Snowpelt has a pretty deep bite mark on her foreleg, but I treated that earlier." Shimmerpool gave another bundle of herbs to Moonpaw, and the silver apprentice sped out with the herbs in her jaws, "Darkheart and Cheetahstar had a few scratches. Wolfstreak too. Lionfrost has a cut just above his eye. Any lower and he may have been blinded."

The medicine cat pulled out a long leaf covered with seeds from the crack in the wall. She slipped off a few of the small seeds and placed them in front of Razorpaw. "Could you take these poppy seeds to any injured cats?" She asked, before turning away to place more cobwebs against Yellowgaze's bleeding ear. Razorpaw could see she was trying to keep herself calm, but between loosing Ghostpaw and treating injured cats she was having a hard time.

"Sure." He picked up the seeds carefully in his mouth, and trotted out of the den into camp. Now more cats were milling around, he swept his gaze over them all to pick out the most injured. Recalling what Shimmerpool had said, he found Lionfrost still talking with Skyhawk and headed over their way.

"I still can't believe we were ambushed by rogues…" Skyhawk was recalling the events as Razorpaw approached. The white and brown tom had a few claw scratches across his flank, but he seemed mostly okay. Lionfrost had the same kind of slashed and cuts, while the one above his eye was covered in a thin layer of herb paste.

"They're with OceanClan, so it probably wasn't the rogue's idea to do it…" Lionfrost reasoned. It seemed whatever doubts anyone had about OceanClan being innocent had vanished after the most recent attack. Now it was the unanimous idea that they had joined together to bring JungleClan down. "I can't believe Swiftstar would allow this. I always thought he'd be too proud to accept help from rogues."

_That's a good point._ Razorpaw thought as he dropped a seed in front of each of the toms. "Here, these should help with the pain." He informed.

"Thanks, Razorpaw." Skyhawk and Lionfrost each took a seed and resumed their conversation, so Razorpaw looked around the camp for his next deliveries. He spotted Silentpaw separating herbs before Sparrowflight and Lizardfang, so he decided to see if they needed any poppy seeds.

"I feel so sorry for Shimmerpool…" Lizardfang was saying as Razorpaw bounded over, "That's the second time she's lost an apprentice…" Her mew was hoarse, and her eyes were unusually dim. She had a few bite marks on one of her forelegs which she held out while Silentpaw spread a little paste from. Razorpaw wasn't sure where his sister had learnt to do this, but she seemed to be doing it okay.

"Poppy seeds." Razorpaw placed a seed in front of each cat, and then turned to Silentpaw. "Do you need one?"

She shook her head, and smeared the last of the paste onto Lizardfang's leg before padding back to the medicine den. Razorpaw watched her go back, and then turned his attention back to the two warriors.

"She's good at this." Lizardfang put her paw down on the ground, but lightly at first. "Maybe she'll become the next medicine cat apprentice?"

Sparrowflight's gaze dropped; she was Silentpaw's mentor. "She isn't cut out for battle." She admitted sadly, glancing at Razorpaw, who knew very well what she was talking about. Silentpaw had never been a battle-ready cat. Maybe training to be a medicine cat would be the best thing for her.

"I shouldn't have taken her to the field…" The brown warrior mewed with remorse, "I'm so grateful to Chaospaw. He saved my apprentice…"

"He did?" Razorpaw blinked with surprise, "What happened?"

Lizardfang lay down, although she grimaced with the weight on her foreleg. "I remember seeing her weaving between the cats, trying to avoid the fights." The grey she-cat recalled, "Then this rogue came straight at her, and she panicked. She didn't move, even when I called out to her." The warrior had to shift around a little to stop herself gritting her teeth with pain. She picked up the poppy seed Razorpaw had placed for her, and began to chew.

Sparrowflight picked up the story, "I tried to get to her, I really did…" The genuine sadness in her voice backed up her claim, "But I wasn't fast enough. I swear, that mangy rogue's claws were only about a tail-length from her face when Chaospaw pushed her out of the way."

Razorpaw could imagine it, the frenzy of teeth and claws tearing apart the field, Silentpaw lost between the madness. He could see the dismay of the JungleClan cats as even more rogues sped over the stepping stones to join the fray. He could see Chaospaw throwing himself into the path of razor-sharp claws to save his sister.

"Cheetahstar has to do something. We can't go through this again." Lizardfang stated as the JungleClan leader made her way over the FallRock and bounded up the stones to sit on the lone rock in the water. She cast a swift glance across the camp before beginning the meeting.

"Let all cats loyal to JungleClan gather beneath the FallRock for a Clan meeting!" She yowled, but as most cats were already in the clearing anyway she started right away. "The rogues have struck us again. And again another brave cat has been taken from us."

Cries of rage and sadness filled the clearing momentarily. Wails for Ghostpaw and shouts for revenge were the most common. He felt the urge to shout something too, but nothing could come to mind.

"Razorpaw, you okay?"

Leopardpaw had sat next to him, and she gazed at him with worried eyes. He nodded to her, relieved that she had no injuries either.

"I was hunting with Whitefoot near the DesertClan border." She explained to him, "I had no idea what was happening."

He was about to tell her how he had been with Nightraven when the black warrior had discovered the rogues, but he decided to listen to what Cheetahstar had to say first. After all, it could be she had accepted Shimmerpool's – or originally his – idea to get DesertClan's help.

"This is the second time in two moons that these rogues have attacked us. And it doesn't look like they plan to leave us alone." The leader shut her eyes for a moment in thought. "As much as I don't want it to be true, by what I have seen today I now believe that OceanClan are sheltering these rogue invaders and that is something I cannot ignore."

There were a few curses against OceanClan muttered amongst the crowd. Razorpaw could see Stingpaw a few tail lengths away mumbling something under his breath while he dug his claws into the ground.

"However, we are severely outnumbered by the attacking forces and have sustained grater wounds. We cannot launch a counterattack alone." The leader announced grimly, sweeping another gaze across her injured clanmates. More mutterings rose from the gathered groups. Leopardpaw leaned closer to the silver apprentice and whispered, "What do you think she'll do?"

He didn't know for sure, but he knew what he was hoping for.

"As such, Shimmerpool proposed an idea to me, which for the moment seems like our best option."

Silence. Or in Razorpaw's case, anticipation.

Cheetahstar looked up into the sky, turning a deeper blue with the setting sun and the few wispy clouds drifting away over the trees. She stood there for a heartbeat, as if looking for guidance in the sky or waiting on the stars. But Razorpaw knew that StarClan could very well still be recovering from the damage that the falling star caused. He wasn't exactly sure how badly having a gaping hole in their territory would affect them, but he guessed there would be some issues. Cheetahstar was going to have to look somewhere else for help.

Somewhere closer.

Looking back down to the cats, she declared with a solid voice,

"Tomorrow, I will lead a patrol into DesertClan and request to Mudstar that our Clans form a temporary alliance."


	29. The Proposition

**Authors note: ** I'm so sorry this chapter took so long, but I've got exams at school it's really killing me… I don't know when the next chapter will be out, but I'll try to get it out ASAP!

**Chapter 29: The Proposition**

Reactions had been mixed. Nightraven and Wolfstreak had agreed that an alliance could potentially put an end to the rogues once and for all. Lionfrost had been initially uncertain, but after the crowd began reasoning - or arguing - he seemed to agree. Neither Skyhawk nor Thunderclaw were too happy about relying on another clan for help, as were Flamepaw and Stingpaw who voiced their opinions maybe a little too clearly. Cheetahstar hadn't made the subject up for discussion though, so they could complain all they liked.

"We'll do some extra battle training later." Nightraven passed Razorpaw on his way to talk to Darkheart, "Whenever this battle comes, it will be big. I want you to be ready."

"I will." Razorpaw dipped his head to his mentor. Yesterday, when Cheetahstar had announced her plan, she had chosen Darkheart, Shimmerpool and Nightraven to go with her. Razorpaw half-hoped he could've been chosen to go, but there wasn't really a point in sending an apprentice along needlessly. So he settled for waiting until the plans were further along to try to meet with Lynxpaw.

Moonpaw, who had been sharing a mouse with him after the two had been hunting together, sat up and focused her gaze on the four cats about to make their way across to DesertClan. "I have to say, the only problem I can see with this is that if Mudstar doesn't agree to help us." She mewed thoughtfully.

"He has to" Razorpaw insisted, "Even if DesertClan aren't under threat, they can't ignore the fact that OceanClan are harboring trained rogues on their territory. That goes against the warrior code, for starters."

"But Mudstar…" she sighed, "He's not…" Razorpaw knew what she meant, he guessed that she was trying to say, 'He's slightly insane, paranoid, something like that…' without sounding too offensive.

"He's the leader of DesertClan. He's a leader because the previous leader knew he'd have what it takes." He pointed out, swiping his paw over his face. "I'm just hoping everything goes smoothly. Because either way, there's going to be a major battle somewhere along the line."

"Yeah, after all they've done I doubt they'll leave without a fight…" Moonpaw considered, tone thoughtful, "But I can't help but feel this is all more complicated than it seems. I keep thinking things like, 'what if the rogues are holding something against Swiftstar so he doesn't have a choice?' or 'Maybe MountainClan helped the rogues get to OceanClan and they're in on it too…'"

Razorpaw didn't want to think about these additional options, but between the falling star, the hole in StarClan and these vicious rogues he was beginning to think anything was possible. He'd seen the silver cat's reflection this morning – although only briefly – when he had crossed the stepping stones hunting with Moonpaw. Chaospaw had been ordered to stay in the den at least until his wound healed over, and to stay in camp until he was absolutely sure it wouldn't cause him any pain. Stingpaw still couldn't care less about anything but getting revenge on the rogues for Wildstripe. Silentpaw had continued to help Shimmerpool look after Yellowgaze and Chaospaw in the medicine den, and she may have even thought about becoming the next Medicine Cat Apprentice. Leopardpaw had focused on her training in preparation for the battle with the rogues. She had tried so hard to search for the next step of the prophecy, but after going this long without finding anything, searching was becoming a bit of a waste of time. Now Razorpaw spent his time with Moonpaw and Leopardpaw discussing, guessing; trying to keep on top of everything that was happening. What events could be linked. Who needed to be involved.

How they could get answers.

"I'm going to see Chaospaw." Razorpaw announced, standing and stretching his hind legs. He couldn't sit still with the swamp of thoughts buzzing around his head. He would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the peace, but was it really peace when he had so much to think about?

"Silentpaw's in there too." Moonpaw yawned as she rose, "I think I'll find Wolfstreak. I want to be ready in case something happens."

She turned and left, padding swiftly towards the warriors den and poking her head in to try and find the big grey warrior. Razorpaw wondered how much she was preparing for the upcoming battle, or really preparing for whatever the prophecy had in store for them next. But if she regretted knowing about the falling star and the prophecy, she didn't show it. She still showed that same sense of curiosity she did the day she found out. It was like the whole scenario only intrigued her.

When he entered the Medicine den, he found Yellowgaze asleep near the entrance with a thin layer of sweet-smelling paste across a wound. He carefully padded past, careful not to disturb her, into the back of the den, where he found his sister neatly sorting herbs while Chaospaw looked incredibly bored in his nest.

"Razorpaw, finally." Chaospaw mumbled, sitting up slowly, "I can't stand it in here. Shimmerpool doesn't let me do _anything_." He shook his head roughly, probably restless. "I know I haven't been in here long, but it feels like moons."

Razorpaw blinked at his friend, gaze fixed on the diagonal gash across his chest. "That looks painful."

"State the obvious." He mumbled back, "It hurts, but I'd rather be in camp doing something than sat in here…"

Silentpaw dropped a poppy seed in front of the black tom, and he took it without complaint. Razorpaw recalled how Snowpelt and Sparrowflight had said Chaospaw received the wound while protecting Silentpaw from a rogue attacker. Silentpaw would feel so thankful to him, or did she really feel like it was her fault?

"Has the patrol gone?" Chaospaw asked, lying back down in his nest with obvious discomfort.

"I think they just left." Razorpaw informed him; then lowered his voice, "What happens from here, I'm not sure. But if we can see Lynxpaw soon, we can finally unravel a bit more of this prophecy."

"That's if she knows anything…" Chaospaw shut his eyes to think, "I wish we could stick to one problem at a time. There're so many things I don't understand..." He trailed off, gazing at the little pool of water beside his nest. He looked tired, and the wound on his chest was causing him pain despite the poppy seed. Razorpaw wished he could help, but there wasn't much he could do.

"That wound…" He noted almost absentmindedly, "It's almost exactly like the one Darkheart has."

"Shimmerpool said that…" His eyes grew more distant for a moment, and then sharpened again heartbeat after, "But that's irrelevant." He shook his head again, "I need to ask you something."

"What?" The silver tom asked. Silentpaw sat down beside him to listen.

"You and Nightraven were right near the field when he spotted the rogues, correct?" He looked first to Razorpaw, and then back to the small pool of water while he awaited his answer. Yellowgaze shifted slightly in her nest, but she seemed to be still sleeping. Razorpaw's mind flashed back to the moment he had realized the rogues were on the field while he and his mentor were only about a tree-length away from them.

"Yes." The silver tom recalled, although he was unsure what good the information was too the black tom. Chaospaw continued to look into the water, hardly moving as he spoke.

"What about the reflection?" He continued, "Have you seen it again? What about that cat you said you saw on the beach?"

Razorpaw thought, "I saw the reflection this morning, but only briefly. I haven't seen that other cat since I was hit by the star. I hear voices sometimes, but I can never tell what they're saying."

Silentpaw gently pushed her muzzle against his flank, showing how much she worried about him. Razorpaw let out a deep sigh, glancing from his sister to his friend, feeling increasingly anxious about their leader's return. They were all wondering about the same thing, but what was to happen afterwards...

"Would you be okay with becoming the Medicine Cat apprentice?" Chaospaw questioned suddenly, only now looking up from the little pool of water. His question was directed at Silentpaw, obviously, but it was Razorpaw who was startled by it. There was no more than ever a need for two medicine cats, but was Silentpaw really ready to make such a choice?

"What?" Razorpaw gasped, "That's up to her, and Shimmerpool, of course…"

"I know" Chaospaw admitted, glancing to Silentpaw, who wasn't at all startled by the proposition. "But you're good with herbs. You have a gift for healing, not fighting…"

Razorpaw had to agree with him there; Shimmerpool had felt confident enough in Silentpaw to take over while she went to DesertClan with Cheetahstar. As for not being cut out to fight, even a blind fox could've seen that. Becoming the next medicine cat would probably be the best thing for her, but…

"Please understand, if everything that's going on threatens the lives of our clanmates, we need to be able to talk to StarClan quickly. And if they find out anything, the same thing applies. If they can talk to you, then you can talk to us and we don't have to get too many cats involved." Chaospaw explained evenly, stating a valid point. Razorpaw still thought it was too soon, that this was rushing things, but was that what the situation called for now? He wasn't even sure what the situation was anymore. The fact that none of them knew really what they were getting into, well, that seemed to be the situation itself.

"There's no guarantee that StarClan can help at all…" The black tom was, as always, considering both sides, "But I'd rather have them there to ask than not at all."

Razorpaw wanted to protest again, but why? It was the most logical thing to do. Maybe it was the death of the previous medicine cat apprentice that was unnerving him. But surely Silentpaw would be safer, here in camp, than if she were made to fight the rogues directly? Still, something didn't sit right with him. It wasn't up to him to decide though; it was Silentpaw's choice to make.

"Take some time to think about it…" Razorpaw suggested, with an approving nod from Chaospaw. Silentpaw nodded too soon after, and then with one last brush of her muzzle against her brother's flank, she left the den.

Razorpaw watched her leave, and then turned to Chaospaw. "Do you think this is a good idea?"

"She can't go through another battle like that" The black tom reasoned, "She was terrified. In here, she knows nothing can get her."

"That's not true…" Razorpaw reminded him, "Ghostpaw…"

"I suppose…" Chaospaw sighed ruefully, "But it's better than being a warrior."

Razorpaw agreed with him, but he knew his sister would still be vulnerable. Then again, Stingpaw would too, with his eagerness to fight he could easily be hurt…Any of them could be. Some of them already had. He had seen Wildstripe's dead body with his very eyes, so why was he only realizing this now? A cat was going to die every moon from now. It could be Silentpaw, or Stingpaw, or Leopardpaw – it could be anyone. None of them were truly safe, no matter where they were. Maybe it would be him next, or next moon, or the moon after. The longer this dragged on, the more friends he would lose. Two were dead already and they had hardly even figured out what the Prophecy wanted them to do yet.

"Why is this happening…?" Razorpaw directed his question at nothing in particular, but since Chaospaw was the only one to answer him, the black tom sighed.

"I wish I knew. But we can't change the past now." He curled up in his nest, probably figuring he could sleep off the pain of his wound. "There's nothing we can do but keep going forward. Even if it doesn't feel like we are, we can't stop or time will leave us behind… And the quicker we move, the quicker it will all be over."

The black tom shut his eyes and placed his head on his paws, leaving Razorpaw to exit the den with his friend's words in mind. He was right – they couldn't stop. Not now, now they had a chance to find out what the Prophecy was asking of them. If they stopped, it could spell the end of the clans if the prophecy continued to take a life every moon. That seemed like reason enough to ignore clan boundaries, but there were only a limited number of cats who would believe a meager apprentice's stories. Razorpaw glanced towards the FallRock, the glistening water cascading over the sandy coloured rock, and the small, flat stone at the top where Cheetahstar would sit. Would others listen to him if he was sat up there? Did he have time to make it there?

He wasn't sure, but it was a place to aim for. If he could make it up there, up the ranks, then he would have the support he needed to fight the prophecy as a Clan.

Not yet, though. He was too inexperienced, too young. And besides…

"The patrol's back!" Flamepaw bounded through the entrance log, announcing the returning patrol to the Clan. Warriors and apprentices began to emerge from their dens into the sunlight, eagerly awaiting the return of their leader and the patrol, anxiously waiting for the news that could send them into battle either alone or with another Clan.

JungleClan already had a leader, and it was her who was calling the shots for now.


End file.
